


Run away tonight

by desertwindsahara



Category: Half-Life, Team Fortress 2
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe, Angst, Battle Medic, City 17, F/M, Fanfiction, Fluff, Medic kills more than he heals, Reader Insert, Reader-Insert, Romance, Science Fiction, Transhumanism, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-10-22
Packaged: 2018-07-16 00:46:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 28,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7245460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/desertwindsahara/pseuds/desertwindsahara
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You arrive to City 17 and desperately try not to get associated with the Universal Union in any possible way, avoiding their armed men at any cost. However, you accidentally end up meeting a Civil Protection medic. Can he make you believe that your life is still worth living?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New City

**Author's Note:**

> (MEDIC X READER, alternate universe, HL2-setting) You arrive to City 17 and desperately try not to get associated with the Universal Union in any possible way, avoiding their armed men with any cost. However, you accidentally end up meeting a metropolice medic. Can he make you believe that your life is still worth living?  
> Inspired by a very old HL2RP session I had with a friend. If you have no idea about HL2 universe, please do some background research before reading; things can otherwise get confusing and unclear! The next chapters might include more and more violence, so be aware. And even if I use the pronouns from the original story, which are "she/her", the reader can be of any gender.

The city was bordered with gray steel barriers, radiation, and thick gasoline mixing up with the polluted air. Trains arrive and leave the city as days turn into nights. People hide all day in their apartments, hoping that they’re not the next ones to be killed by the merciless Civil Protection. Some people ignore the fear, rebel against the system and flee the city, creating their own army to bring justice. However, you are not one of those brave rebels. You are an ordinary citizen being transported from a place to another.

(Y/N) fell asleep right after the train left the station of the city. She packed up as many clothes and necessities as possible, but the suitcase that was given to her was probably too small for everything. She, like many other citizens, was forced to be transported to a new city due to the relocation program. During the train journey, she didn’t dream about anything. Her body was numb due to the poor nutrition and the stress that she had experienced during the past two weeks before being told that she would lose her apartment due to the relocation.

After hours of traveling, (Y/N) wakes up hearing a loud announcement about the arrival. She opened her eyes slowly and looked around. The people were still sitting but the train began to slow down. The train was almost there. When she turned her head towards the window which was located next to her seat, she saw a gray sky that was lit up by the lights of the city and a few old apartment buildings. As well as soldiers patrolling the borders of the city. The only thing that (Y/N) had heard about her new home was that it was safe, thanks to the relatively large Civil Worker’s Union, a union for ordinary citizens, which protected their rights.

Minutes later the train stopped at the main station which was located in the middle of the city. There was the following announcement. “You are now allowed to enter the City 17. Please proceed to apply. Welcome to our city.” It told. The citizens on the train began to stand up from their seats and walk towards the doors soon after they opened, but (Y/N) decided to wait until the train was almost empty. She had no energy to compete who’s going through the door first with the other citizens. One man happened to notice the reluctant behavior of (Y/N), and stopped in front of her. “Shouldn’t you move up? We’re already here.” He asked. (Y/N) nodded. “I’m just politely letting others to go first. I’ve got plenty of time.”

When most of the folks were already outside and walking forward, (Y/N) finally stood up. She followed the other citizens and stepped out the train. Oh, how much the city reminded her of the old one. The apartment buildings were as worn out and gray as the previous one where she used to live. It brought a lot of nostalgia and melancholy into her mind, but it was grand that she would never be able to return. This was the beginning of her new life in a new town. Suddenly, she heard a vocoded voice behind her. “Citizen. Isolate.” Said a metropolice with an impatient tone. When (Y/N) turned around, those creepy, glowing blue eyes made her feel immediate fear. She simply nodded at the metropolice before she continued to follow the other citizens.

It felt as if she had walked forever until she reached the checkpoint. The citizens had to form a line between to chain fences that led to an open space. There were too metropolice units standing and talking with a citizen, soon letting him proceed into the city. When it was finally (Y/N)’s turn, she turned to face the metropolice unit. He stared down to her, since (Y/N) was probably a foot shorter than him. He gave off some creepy vibes, since he his figure was so towering and impressive. His black armor was waxed and shiny. “Citizen. Apply.” The unit emitted after some while, wanting to hear (Y/N)’s full name and her ID. “My name is (Y/N) and my citizen ID is 2345..” She stopped as she apparently forgot the last digit of her ID. The unit seemed to be very amused and chuckled at her. “A citizen should never forget their ID. If they even have one, in your case. It can cause them a lot of trouble.” He said with his thick Russian accent, crossing his arms upon his chest. (Y/N) felt herself getting more and more nervous until she managed to remember. “My ID is 23454.”

(Y/N) was finally let go and she continued her journey to the city. The cop had given her the number of her apartment and some directions. It was quite easy to get in a city so complex, but she ended up to finally find her apartment. The door was easily opened with her ID, even if it looked like the wooden surface was coming apart. Maybe the texture was just a camouflage. The outlook of the lobby was okay, and there were some people sitting and watching television together. They didn’t pay any attention to her. Not that they even heard her; her entrance was very silent. (Y/N) looked at the floor plan that was on the wall next to her, eyeing the numbers shown on it. Her apartment’s number was 15, and it was on the third floor.

After walking two stairs up and finding the door of her apartment, she opened the door and walked in. The first impression was something basic; the floor was intact, a fridge existed, a bathroom with a toilet and a shower and the most important thing, a bed with a mattress on it. (Y/N) left her suitcase to lean against the wall, walking to the bed, laying onto it. It had been such a long day, and she needed to rest well before exploring the city any further. After all, it was nearly 2 AM and the journey took about six hours. (Y/N)’s hand hovered to touch her damp forehead, rubbing off some sweat. She needed a shower, but she thought that it would be better if she’d take it the following day. She was way too tired to even stand up.

The following morning (Y/N) woke up late. Probably too late, since it was nearly 12 PM in the afternoon. At least she got her batteries charged for the big day. Her body felt heavy, as if it was glued to the mattress. After several minutes, she managed to get up. When she turned to look at the window, the position of the sunlight made her realize how late it was. “Oh fuck, I seriously need to take a shower right away.” She spoke to herself, grabbing her suitcase on her way to the bathroom. She rose the suitcase over the sink, opening it. There were some clean underwear and tees, and she grabbed what she needed before undressing and opening the chilly stream of water.

(Y/N) headed out after she took the shower and gussied up a little bit in front of the bathroom mirror. The day before she was told that rations could be collected from 1pm to 3 pm from the railway station, the exact place where (Y/N) arrived at nearly 12 hours ago. When she stepped out the apartment building, the city looked somewhat more bright in daylight, and it turned out to be quite clean when everything was visible to the naked eye. The citizens, just like (Y/N), all of them in blue denim boiler suits, were heading towards the railway station quite eagerly to receive their own ration. Upon the city was rising a very, very tall metallic building. That must be the Citadel, (Y/N) thought to herself, and she was apparently right about that. Dr. Breen, the Earth’s Administrator under Combine, lived there and was kept under high-level protection. His voice was heard daily in the announcements that echoed through the city.

While (Y/N) was standing in the line, being the last one, a man pushed her out roughly, nearly making her lose her balance. “A new face! I bet I’m more hungry than you are, so get out of my way, newbie. We don’t need more citizens here! Get the fuck back wherever the hell you came from.” The man told (Y/N), who was thinking of what to say next. She didn’t have to open her mouth, because a metrocop who was monitoring the line of the citizens soon stepped into the situation. He didn’t look an ordinary metrocop; the glowing eyes of his mask were of the color yellow, and judging by the markings on his armor, he was a medic. His figure was semi-muscular and tall, probably 6 feet.

“Get out of the line, citizen. You are not permitted to have a ration for the next 24 hours.” The medic emitted in his vocoded voice, apparently with a notable German accent, and reached for his stun stick that was clipped into his black leather utility belt. His menacing gesture caused the man to back up until his back was pressed tightly against the concrete wall behind him. “Out of my realm or take the hit.” That sentence was the last part of the conversation before the man walked out the door as quickly as he could. After this, the medic turned to face (Y/N), taking a few steps forward. “Citizen, you can enter the line again, the man is gone now and won’t bother you anymore.” This left (Y/N) speechless. His voice sounded so soft, the opposite of what it sounded when he talked to the man. Was the medic actually being nice and defending her? If that was the case, his behavior for a Civil Protection unit was totally unusual and rare; the units were often found beating citizens and not paying any attention to the daily harassment between them.

“T-thank you so much, sir. Appreciated.” Was the only thing that (Y/N) managed to say, looking up into those yellow glowing eyes of the medic. The unit nodded and walked back to where he came, to monitor the line and make sure that things went smoothly. (Y/N) was left to wait for her ration, and it took about five minutes until it was her turn to be given hers. It was the time to go back to the apartment to eat some breakfast, however it was nearly 2 PM by that moment, and the proper term for it would be “lunch” or “super late breakfast”. The ration included basic canned food with a can of water, which was something that a citizen would receive every single time, but it was enough to fill (Y/N) up. And just when she thought that this city wouldn’t be so bad after all, she heard gunshots outside. In fact, the gunshots could be heard so clearly that she dropped the can of carbonated water into the ground. Seconds later, more gunfire, Civil Protection joining the fight. “Oh my God--” She was interrupted again after hearing a loud siren going off. It was the judgement waiver. Somebody triggered it.


	2. Protector

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go, dear readers. I've been very busy with work, but I still managed to write this chapter. Writing this story is actually very interesting and I'm eager to continue writing it.

The shooting felt like it never came to an end. (Y/N) was trapped inside her apartment, because she was too afraid to go outside in the fear of getting shot and killed by the Civil Protection. When the judgement waiver was on, no citizen was safe from bullets. If one was seen outside running, they would get shot immediately within seconds. (Y/N) had seen that before in the previous cities she had lived in, so she decided to be smart and stay inside. When the moment was right, she peeked out the window down to the streets. The view was miserable; unarmed, dead citizens lying on the ground. Combine soldiers ran towards the Citadel, shooting everything that moved. If those soldiers were requested into a fight, it always meant that the situation was highly serious, or even worse, out of control. (Y/N)’s focus was lost when she heard Combine radio chatter and heavy footsteps on the second floor. They broke a locked door and crashed inside an apartment. “Citizen. Out. Now!” A unit yelled loudly, which was followed by a static sound from a stun stick. They were escorting the citizens to the railway station, and to put it bluntly, straight to their deaths. (Y/N) knew that she had to leave immediately, so she ran to the door and opened it before she dashed to the lobby, almost falling over while walking down the stairs.

Two units stopped (Y/N) at the entrance and asked her to apply just to make sure that she wasn’t associated with the resistance movement. “Citizen. Stay behind me. We are going outside. Do exactly as I say, and you might even survive the open fire and make it to the station.” A unit told her, who was perhaps the same medic that helped her out before. However, his voice sounded more serious than ever before, even unfamiliar to (Y/N)’s ear. He was holding a combat rifle in his hands which appeared to had taken some damage already. Beside him stood an Overwatch soldier, who had much heavier gear than an ordinary Civil Protection unit. “Could you please tell me what exactly is going on outside? Why is the judgement waiver in effect?” (Y/N) asked before the soldier opened the door and looked at the medic. “Officer Apex. Now.” He emitted, signaling the medic to step through the door. “Keine Zeit.” The medic answered (Y/N) shortly before he and the other unit dashed out with a few other remaining citizens who were from the same apartment building, leaving (Y/N) slightly behind them.

When (Y/N) saw the others leave, she, of course, followed them since the medic told her to do so. The situation outside was chaotic. Resistance members were approaching the Nexus, which was the hardpoint of the Metropolice Force which operated in the city. Its barriers were already breached and taken down. Running felt difficult and heavy, since (Y/N) couldn’t even remember the last time she actually ran. But this time, she was running for her life. The medic, who was running a bit ahead of (Y/N), used his radio communication device while he ran, seemingly requesting immediate backup. All of the sudden, a rocket fell nearby, exploding within a millisecond. Everything went dark for a moment, and (Y/N) found herself on the ground, feeling a sharp pain as the crumbled concrete under her hurt her left rib cage and cheek. Even if she barely had energy left for moving, she managed to turn her head to see how her surroundings were. All of the other citizens who were significantly closer to the blast were heavily injured by the overpressure that was caused by the rocket, and the Overwatch soldier who was the closest one to the blast appeared to be lifeless.

Next to (Y/N) was lying the medic, who was clearly awake yet had difficulty breathing. The explosion seemingly had slammed him mercilessly against the sharp concrete crumbles that had partially destroyed his chest armor. He was bleeding a lot. Since he promised to help her get to the station, (Y/N) knew she had to help him. She had no chance to make it out alive without an armor or weapons, which she didn’t have. The medic had taken most of the hits from the projectiles that were sent by the bomb to their direction, therefore (Y/N) was in a good condition, just a bit out of her mind because she had hit her head. In the end, she managed to get up into a sitting position and turned her body towards the medic. Because they had nothing that would be able to protect them for bullets, (Y/N) grabbed the medic by his shoulders and dragged him carefully behind a nearby pillar, which she thought would be used as a shield for possible upcoming projectiles.

“T-take my mask off. Bitte. Can’t talk.” The unit emitted in a shaky tone of voice. (Y/N) barely understood what he asked her to do because the vocoder made his voice sound unintelligible. The citizen reached for his mask and tried to figure out how it could actually be taken off. “Clips. Both sides. Just pull them.” The medic guided, tilting his head from left to right, attempting to show her where the clips were located. (Y/N) quickly figured out the difficult mechanism of the mask, taking it off slowly. It revealed a face of a dark-haired, handsome yet distressed looking man. A trail of blood was coming down his chin, but thanks to (Y/N) for taking the mask off, he was breathing okay. However, seeing a Civil Protection unit without a mask was quite fascinating to (Y/N), since she had never seen it before; they actually had human characteristics and weren’t modified in any way.

The medic began to search something from his combat belt, but it looked somewhat hopeless because he was doing it too quickly and his hands were shaking a lot from the pain. “QuikClot needed. Citizen, hand it to me. It will stop the bleeding.” He told (Y/N) and took a very deep breath. The citizen nodded and began to search his combat belt, looking through every pocket she could find. Finally, she found the thing that he told her to find and gave it to the medic. He worked the package open and pressed the cloth-like sheet against the wound on his stomach. “Help me stop the bleeding. Press.” The medic muttered to her, signaling her to hold the QuikClot in place. She pressed it as tightly against the wound as she could, and it actually did help a lot to stop the bleeding. “Officer Apex requesting help. Barely breathing citizens and a unit in front of the Nexus, we didn’t make it. I’m coming in with a citizen, her ID is 23454, she’s under my watch.”

(Y/N) was surprised when the unit remembered her identity number. But what surprised her the most was the fact that he was bringing her with him. “Are you really doing this? Citizens are not allowed to enter the Nexus, they say it will result in amputation.” (Y/N) pointed out. The medic shook his head. “You saved me, citizen. I would’ve gotten killed by the resistance if you didn’t drag me here. I owe you. Bin ich recht? Now, just help me get up, bitte, I’ll handle the rest.” (Y/N) helped the medic to get up from the ground. However, it was hard since his armor added up some extra weight and was bulky. “Dankeschön. Okay, now listen to me. We have to run as fast as we can until we reach the Nexus. I will insert the door code, then we can go inside and get to the medbay. You can have my pistol, just for self-defense. Stay close just in case an officer tries to shoot.” He ordered, handing the citizen his pistol. “Have you shot a gun before?” The officer asked when he saw the uncertain facial expression of the citizen. She looked up at him and shook her head. “Unfortunately I haven’t.” She said in an apologizing tone. The medic smiled, his teeth showing before he put his mask back on. “Your instinct will take care of it, I can assure you that. Und jetzt, kommen Sie mit mir, bitte!” His vocoded voice kicked in again.

After the officer assured (Y/N) that she had some pre-installed abilities, he grabbed her arm and began to run towards the Nexus. This left the citizen to wonder how did he recover so fast from a direct projectile wound that was on his chest. The view of an officer running with a citizen made the resistance members confused, so they didn’t shoot them, and instead focused on trying to take some combine elites down that were jumping out from a dropship. (Y/N) and her metropolice partner reached the Nexus in about a minute since they were running as fast as they ever could. The officer entered an entering code on a numeric keypad that was next to a huge, metallic door. The door opened and the two walked inside. “That’s it. Let’s leave the rest for the overwatch soldiers and head to the medbay.” The officer said and signaled (Y/N) to follow him to an elevator. The citizen soon began to feel pain that she didn’t feel moments ago. Was it really that she didn’t notice her injuries before? She had bruises on her hands and a deep cut on her left shoulder that had torn the cloth apart. Her sudden change of mood didn’t pass unnoticed. “Looks like I’m not the only one who needs treatment. If you’re wondering why you feel this way all of the sudden, I think you were in shock before. And because you were in shock, your body didn’t want you to feel the pain in order to fight until you were safe.” The medic assumed, looking down to her. She didn’t say a thing, only nodded.

The medbay, in fact, looked like any other combine facility. It had those metal walls and lamps that radiated bright white light. The only thing that divided it from a typical room was that there was a surgical table, a table with lots of medical equipment, a cabin full of medicine, and lots of beds. “Apex.” A voice echoed in the room when they walked in. The source of that voice was a unit wearing a standard civil protection uniform who looked untouched. “Union. This is a guest. She needs medical attention.” The medic told the other unit, signaling to the citizen that stood behind him. “Acknowledged. I heard it on the radio. I came here to ask for some pills but you weren’t here. Can I have them now, officer? And anyway, your chest looks like total shit.” The unit asked and took a few steps forward. “Your pills can wait, Union. You should be guarding outside right now. Resistance is on fire today. I’ll have enough patients tonight already, including myself.” He pointed out. The other unit nodded respectfully and walked to the elevator, taking a long look at the citizen when he passed by her. When the unit was gone, Apex turned to face the citizen again. “Get onto the examination table, bitte. You will need a few stitches and some painkillers.” He emitted and guided the citizen to the examination table that he mentioned. The citizen sat onto it and took a comfortable position by adjusting herself while Apex was getting his equipment from a nearby cabin. He took out a pack of needles, a string along with some bandages. “Hm. Vielleicht sind diese Dinge genug.” He talked to himself in his native language before he turned away from the cabin and walked back to face the citizen, looking down at her.

“Endlich. The thing I’m going to do is very simple. Stitches will be applied to the wound on your shoulder, and it shouldn’t hurt too much when I do it, therefore I won’t be using any anesthetic.” Apex told her in his heavily vocoded voice and began to insert the string through the loop of the needle. “Why are you taking such good care of a random citizen?” (Y/N) wanted to know. The medic rose his look from the needle and instead of it, he stared at the citizen for a long time in silence. “You saved me. Now, it’s my time to save you. And here in the Nexus, you’re safe from all the harm that’s happening out there. Now, bitte, take off your jacket.” The medic tried to get away from the topic. (Y/N) didn’t want to talk about the topic any further, so she simply obeyed the medic’s request and took off her jacket. “Dankeschön.” The unit thanked her before he began to disinfect the wound. After he finished the careful process, he dug his needle into her flesh. The sudden pain made (Y/N)’s face turn into an unpleasant grin as she attempted to resist the pain that was slowly taking over her. “You lied to me. It hurts like hell, I think I’m going to die.” She said with an uneasy tone of voice as if she was trying to make the unit ease up her suffering. However, he just chuckled in amusement. “Since my chest looks like this, I’m probably going to die sooner than you. This is less painful compared to what it would feel like after two weeks with an open wound on your shoulder. Normal citizens don’t get treatment like this.” He assured her and smiled under his mask, which was, of course, unseen by (Y/N).

When five painful minutes passed, Apex finally finished the stitching process. “Okay, you can now put your jacket on.” He said and went to wash his hands, throwing away the disposable equipment that he had used. (Y/N) moved off the examination table and put her jacket on, buttoning it. “Thanks for patching me up, Apex. That was very unexpected yet nice from a Civil Protection unit.” She thanked and turned to face the medic, smiling at him in relief. “No need to thank me. That’s what we doctors are here for. Even if it might seem a bit inappropriate between a citizen and an officer.” Apex chuckled. “Just call me Sebastian, bitte, but only if there are no other units around, ja? I already know your name, as you know.” (Y/N)’s answer to this request was a simple nod. She headed towards the door. “I should get out now, I guess. Thanks for protecting me.” All of the sudden, the citizen felt that someone was holding her back. “What do you think you’re doing? It’s still too dangerous for an unarmed citizen to wander there! You can stay with me in my room overnight. Erm, not with me exactly, but there in the same room. Because if you stayed here, the units would instantly kick you out.” Was there a slight hint of nervousness in the medic’s voice? Maybe, (Y/N) thought. It just made her amused. “Alright, as you say.”

Apex, or Sebastian, led (Y/N) to the living quarters and let her inside his room. “Make yourself at home. I still need to work a little and patch myself up finally. I’ll be here by morning, then it might be a good time for you to get outside again. I’ve been getting radio chatter that the situation would be under control now.” He explained her while he was eyeing his room, to make sure it was fit for a guest to stay. “Okay. And hey, seriously, thank you so much for protecting me, even if it feels a bit strange to stay overnight in a commanding officer’s room.” (Y/N) commented and smiled at him. He had his mask on, so it was hard to determine where he was looking. “You saved me from a certain death out there, citizen. I owe you big time. This is the least I can do, you know? But now, schlaf gut.” He said before he left the doorstep and started to walk towards the elevator on the other side of the corridor. (Y/N) looked at him for a moment before closing the door and turning around. The room looked like that its walls were made of the same metallic material that everything else was made of in the Nexus. The only thing that made the room unique were Sebastian’s own customizations, such as a mirror, a portrait, and a stack of German science books that were lying on the side table by his bed. There wasn’t much space in the room, and it was actually very small, probably way too small for more than one person to live in. (Y/N) made her way to the bathroom and washed her face, which was covered in a thick layer of dirt, before she headed to sleep on the couch that was in the corner of the room. It took only a few minutes for (Y/N) to fall asleep on the couch.


	3. A New Face

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm SO sorry that it's been so long since I've updated this story! I was in Croatia and had no time to write this story. But here it is! It's a bit shorter than the ones that came before it, but I'm going to continue the story very soon. Enjoy!

When the morning came, (Y/N) was still asleep for hours after the Sun began to rose up from the horizon. The situation outside was stable and the Combine had beaten the Resistance with great numbers, since they managed to kill dozens of them. It was a huge number compared to the total deaths of Civil Protection units and Overwatch soldiers during the judgement waiver. The streets outside were dead silent, but a lot of dead bodies still existed around the city, reminding anyone who passed by of the events of yesterday. Most of the citizens were taken back to their apartments and told not to go outside if not necessary. Apex was one of the units who was responsible to count the citizens who were still alive in the central housing block, and published the amount of deaths to his superiors. After he finished the job, the walked back to the Nexus to check on the citizen he was hiding in his room. When he opened the door and stepped inside, he saw that she was just waking up.

“Guten Morgen. I’m here to give you a, uh, police escort back to your apartment block.” The unit emitted and made the citizen on his couch open her eyes. She looked a bit surprised because she had no idea that somebody else was in the room. Maybe Apex was like a ghost; his movements didn’t make any noise when he walked in. “Uh, hey. Sorry, I overslept. We can leave right away.” (Y/N) said in slight embarrassment and stood up from the couch. “It’s okay. The city center looks like a total bloodbath right now, even if the fight ended hours and hours ago. Well, at least it’s over now.” Apex told her while he took his worn out gloves off and put them back on, attempting to make them fit his fingers better. Then, he walked out to the corridor and signaled her to follow. “That I can believe.” The citizen answered and walked outside the room.

They continued to walk to the elevator and went upstairs to the ground level. It was relatively silent up there, since all the units were outside and fixing up the city to its previous glory. “I’m so sorry I have to do the following, but I have to pat you down before you go outside. It’s a part of the protocol. Face the wall, bitte.” Apex told her just as they reached the entrance and turned to face her. (Y/N) nodded and turned around towards the wall, just like the unit told her to do. Apex kneeled down and began to pat down her legs, attempting not to as rough as the other metropolice units usually were. He wasn’t really focused on finding anything unusual, but instead tried to be as gentle with her as possible, since she was a nice person, maybe even a new friend. “Sehr gut.” He emitted as he moved his hands up to her upper body, continuing his patting process. As expected, he didn’t find anything suspicious on her. “You’re clear. We can go out now.”

As they walked out the Nexus, (Y/N) tilted her head down to see the street in front of her on a lower level. There were visible blood stains on the pavement along with crushed pieces of concrete. The cleanup seemed to be still in progress as some of the citizens were forced to help out with the disposal of numerous lifeless bodies and body parts that were cut off by a blast. “We have a lot of casualties. Too bad the Resistance didn’t stop when they were still able to. Well, actually, the Civil Protection didn’t stop when they were still able to.” Apex emitted while they were walking down the stairs, onto the street. Suddenly, the citizen that was walking behind him stopped. “Do you think it’s worth all the lives that we lost last night? The cause, I mean. They want to free us all from this.” She asked him out of pure curiosity, maybe taking the matter too far. The unit turned around to face her, the two yellow lights on his mask radiating directly into (Y/N)’s eyes. “Ich weiß nicht. Ähm, Entschuldigung, also.. I don’t know.” Apex answered her, being seemingly quite unsure what to answer to the citizen’s question.

He was completely silent for several seconds before working out the answer. “I’m not a citizen, neither I’m part of the Resistance. Since I joined the Civil Protection six years ago, I’ve been offered things that keep me satisfied with this insane system we are in. But when I was still in your position, all I wanted was to go back to Germany as fast as possible and continue with what I was doing. I’m not saying that I don’t want that anymore. It’s just that the world has changed since all this started. Years and years have passed, and I hardly think that I’m the same man I used to be. There’s a void growing inside me.” He gave his indirect answer to her question, causing the expression of the citizen in front of him to shift from questioning to somewhat empathetic. “Are you unhappy? Even if you guys are treated so well. The meals and everything.” She took the matter even further. The unit turned his head away from her and looked to the side. “I have everything. But I don’t have anyone.” He answered swiftly, his vocoder forcing his silent speech out in an unclear tone. (Y/N) felt herself surprised when she realized what Apex meant with his answer. She expected something way less secluded from him, judging by how he acted before. Maybe she misjudged him completely and never saw past his uniform.

After a few seconds, Apex began to continue walking on the street, in intention to lead her to her apartment safely. (Y/N) followed the Civil Protection unit but didn’t say a word since she didn’t want him to get too tensed up about the topic. Minutes after, they arrived to the apartment building and stepped inside. It was more silent than before, and there were no citizens around. “This apartment building was hardly touched last night. Your apartment should be just fine and the things are where you left them.” Apex said, still not looking at her directly under his mask. “I see. That’s good news. Thank you for everything.” (Y/N) thanked the unit and gave him a smile, looking up to him. “Kein Problem. If you need a police escort again, just tell me. I’ll be around, (Y/N). I’m always here. Danke. Without your help, I wouldn’t be here.” He said before he walked back to the door and opened it while talking something on the Combine radio, much likely indicating that he was ready for his shift. (Y/N) felt herself falling quickly into her daily mood. Apex seemed to be that kind of person who never sleeps and is always up. Maybe the Civil Protection units never sleep? She wasn’t sure, since only a bit was known about them. He was like a machine that went through endless tasks without stopping. That somehow amazed her, but at the same time, she felt bad for him. He was so full of life, but his light was fading.


	4. Care

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again. I have been writing this chapter for several nights now. Tried my best to include some fluff in this chapter. Thanks to all the people who still read this fic. Enjoy!

Several hours after Apex left (Y/N)’s apartment, the citizen was still there, doing nothing. To put it bluntly, she had no choice but to stay indoors. The streets of the city were still littered by blood and broken pieces of concrete, and she was not really in the mood to witness that. Instead, she decided to lay on the bed, take off her jacket, and just relax for a while. Without even realizing it, her thoughts wandered to Sebastian, the Civil Protection medic. His kindness and the way he expressed himself seemed so unreal that (Y/N) almost felt herself being delusional about the whole thing, like it never actually happened. But he was real and it all really happened; the moments were still crystal clear in her memory. The reason why she was questioning the whole thing was that she was seemingly on the edge of falling asleep and her cognitive function caused her to overthink the past events.

After several hours of snoozing, (Y/N) took a shower after waking up and decided to open her fridge and see if there was any food left in there. Apparently not, and her stomach was making a lot of noise. The ration of the previous day was strangely smaller than usual, but there was an announcement about the availability of rations earlier. Maybe this was just the way it was in this city. After all, City 17 was different, just like any other. (Y/N) soon gathered all her courage to get out her apartment room and wander downstairs to the lobby. It was dead-silent when she got there, and the couches that usually had a few citizens sitting on them were now totally unoccupied. There is a legit reason not to sit on them, she thought to herself before walking outside. She walked down a few stairs ahead of her and headed to the train station.

However, all of the sudden, a small television crashed just a few feet away from her on the hard concrete ground. Someone probably threw it off one abandoned apartment that was located on the third floor of the same apartment where (Y/N) happened to live. She got so frightened by the sudden phenomenon that occurred a few seconds ago that she almost fell on the ground due to her attempt to avoid being hit. “Whoa.” She expressed and stared at the television. Basically, it was still quite intact since the drop wasn’t too long for it to completely shatter and break. She wondered if she would quickly be able to take it back where it was before and not to get noticed by a metrocop that would accuse her of stealing stuff. She was ignoring the risks and decided to pick the television up, which she found very tiring. How heavy can a tiny television be? Well, for an average citizen, it was a challenge.

While (Y/N) was hurriedly trying to carry the heavy television up the stairs of the apartment building, she heard heavy footsteps entering the building. It must’ve been a metropolice unit, there was no doubt. She could hear the heavy gear making noise as the unit walked towards her, making her heart beat faster in the increasing nervousness she felt growing inside of her. “Citizen.” The vocoded voice said behind her, (Y/N) facing the unit behind her, hands shaking under the heavy load of the television. The unit reached for his mask, fingering the neck, flicking something off. “Ich kann dir vielleicht helfen. Do you need any help?” He emitted and (Y/N) immediately recognizing the now normal-sounding voice of the unit. It was Apex, which was a huge relief. (Y/N) gave the masked unit an embarrassed, cute smile, but it slowly faded as she felt herself losing her balance and falling towards the unit.

Thankfully, Apex managed to catch (Y/N) in his arms before it was too late. Due to his efficiency, he managed to save the already damaged television, too, landing it safely on the ground. However, his number one priority was to catch (Y/N) before she’d hit her head or hurt herself. “So ein Pech! Are you okay?” Apex asked as the citizen’s head was apparently resting against his armored chest, (Y/N)’s hands positioned near his shoulders, both on their own. The citizen didn’t realize this until she was conscious of what happened just a few moments ago. “I’m so clumsy and clueless, my God.. This is so embarrassing. I’m sorry.” The citizen apologized, her face turning red in only seconds after her realization. Apex noticed her panicking and loosened his grip on her arms. “Please don’t be embarrassed! This could happen to anyone when carrying something too heavy. It’s normal. You don’t have to feel embarrassed just because I was witnessing it.” He assured and smiled under his mask, even if she wasn’t able to see it. (Y/N) fell into a total silence and slowly took a step back away from the unit, a step that was enough for them not to touch each other. Apex let go of her hands completely, not wanting to cause her any discomfort.

While several seconds passed, (Y/N) took a deep breath and rose her glance to look at the unit. “Please forgive me for being such a mess, I wasn’t thinking about it at all.” She apologized him and was still flushed. The unit looked right into her eyes, and shook his head. “No need to apologize. You were just confused, and it’s a natural response of what happened. As I said, you don’t have to be embarrassed.” He attempted to encourage the citizen. “Alright. I guess you’re right, since you know this stuff better than I do.” She said with a slightly shaking tone of voice. “Let me handle this television for you. Just lead the way, ja? I only heard the noise, but did not witness it. Therefore I have no idea where it actually came from.” (Y/N) agreed to show him the way, so they headed upstairs, to the third. “It was thrown out from an abandoned room on my floor. I have no idea who got so frustrated all the sudden.” The citizen explained the unit that followed her lead. She took a short look at him and noticed how he managed to carry the television only with one hand. He must be very strong, (Y/N) thought to herself, raising her brows. “Ja, das kenne ich. Citizens get bored and frustrated quite easily, so they throw stuff out just to tease Civil Protection units.”

When they arrived in the room, Apex placed the television he was carrying on a table where it was probably taken from. He arranged it in a way it looked neat enough. “This television took some serious damage, but maybe hopefully nobody wants to claim this room. Just look at those terrible holes in the wall.” He told the citizen who was standing behind him. “I’m just happy to see that nobody was forced to live in this room. It gives me the creeps. And during winter, it must be so cold. The freeze gets inside with no effort.” (Y/N) pointed out and crossed her arms upon her chest. As she spoke, the unit was reaching his hands up to the sides of his neck in order to take off his mask. He nodded before he managed to take his mask off, holding it in his right hand. “Isn’t it cold already, (Y/N)?” Sebastian said before he turned to face the citizen.

(Y/N)’s expression changed when he saw his unmasked face, that was now in its normal state, unlike the one she saw the previous evening. He was actually way too captivating for a civil protection unit. Even if he was probably in his forties, (Y/N) found him very attractive. In addition, his new, shiny black armor didn’t make the sight worse. It almost made her guilty for thinking such things about him. If the Resistance read her thoughts, she would be killed immediately. But gladly, it was all inside of her mind. She thought that maybe the citizens were brainwashed to think this way about the Civil Protection units? She wasn’t sure what she felt, but it was something strange that made her nervous. “Uh, yeah. But it’s fine. This boiler suit isn’t really designed for a weather like this, so it feels a bit uncomfortable. I’d use a chimney to warm myself up right now, but damn, I don’t have one anymore.”

Her answer made Sebastian smile quite widely. He had that weird smile of a mad scientist, which was quite reasonable since he was a doctor, after all. “Natürlich. Generally, the nutrition that is provided to the citizens is quite poor and therefore doesn’t keep the blood sugar levels high enough. It results in dizziness, weakness, and makes the citizen feel quite cold at times, because the blood circulation in your blood vessels is poor. Would you allow me to examine you in your room? I always have my stuff with me. Nothing special, but I’d like to check out if your wounds are any better. After all, I was the one who caused them in the first place for taking you out to the battlefield.” He suggested in a soft tone of voice. She thought it was a good idea and a great opportunity to get herself in a better health. “Yeah, sure. That would be very nice, to be honest.”

It took only a minute or two for the doctor and the citizen to get to (Y/N)’s apartment, which was on the same floor. They closed, as assumed, the door behind them to avoid any distraction. “You can sit on your bed if you want. Make yourself comfortable. And oh, take off your jacket, so I can take a look at your wound und so weiter!” Sebastian told her and reached down to his combat belt to take out the equipment he needed. The citizen took off her jacket and placed it onto the kitchen table before walking to her bed and sitting on it. The unit dragged a chair next to the bed and sat onto it, still rummaging through his things, mumbling something thoughtful in German that (Y/N) wasn’t able to translate.

“The things in my combat belt are rarely in order, because I have to use it way too often these days. But here we go, I think I’ve got everything I need for this examination. The first thing I would like to ask is about your wound. Any discomfort?” Sebastian asked and rose his stare from his combat belt to (Y/N)’s eyes. “Not really. It’s been itching a little bit, but I’ve managed to sleep well, so there’s no problem with it. Of course, I’m not a doctor, so I have no idea how it really is, to be honest.” Before the citizen was able to finish her sentence, the unit was already taking his gloves off in pure excitement. “You don’t have an idea about it. It’s my responsibility, ja?” He said with a soft smile on his face as he revealed something absolutely unexpected under his gloves. It was not flesh, neither it looked anything organic. Was he augmented? Possibly, because at least his hands appeared to be of very advanced machinery. This was a huge surprise to (Y/N), but she really didn’t pay too much attention to it. She knew that those things existed, so it was nothing too unusual. When she realized that she was staring too much, she turned her head away. This didn’t pass unnoticed by Sebastian.

“Alles klar? You seem frightened.” He noted as he landed his right hand on her unclothed left arm, checking out the wound on her shoulder. The sudden coldness made of his fingers made (Y/N) cringe a bit. “No, I just.. Uh, nothing. Don’t let me interrupt your work.” It’s unbelievable how many things that man noticed about her behavior, she thought. Sebastian nodded swiftly and observed the wound from numerous angles, raising his brows. “Ah, I’m happy to announce that your wound is alright. How about your hands, could you let me look at them? I recall you having multiple wounds on them, bin ich recht?” He asked her and let go of her left arm, returning his hand onto his lap. The citizen nodded and was able to look into his eyes again. Sebastian gently cupped his hands around hers, feeling the soft texture of them on his metal. It was a big deal for the citizen to observe the difference of their hands; hers were smaller and the skin was slightly bruised, his were larger and mechanic, made of brushed aluminium - complete opposites. However, she really enjoyed the feeling of her hands being held so gently.

Sadly, it only lasted a minute. The medic let go of her hands, even if he clearly was reluctant to do so. It disappointed (Y/N), too. “Your hands are okay, even if the cuts are not visibly healing yet. I might listen to your heartbeat now that we have time to do so, if you allow me to.” (Y/N) rested her hands on her lap and blinked, realizing that Sebastian was talking again. “You’re being too good to me, Sebastian.” She answered indirectly and smiled at the unit. Sebastian returned the gaze and smiled back. “I’m just doing my job. This isn’t my first time begging to enter a citizen’s apartment to provide medical care. I’m so bad, I break my work ethic continuously.” He admitted in embarrassment while he began to listen to her heart with the stethoscope, pressing the instrument against her chest area.


	5. Lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit dark in the end. But this is actually the very first hint of love between those two! I got carried away. I'm officially hooked on writing this fic, it seems. The next part is already being written!

While Sebastian was listening to (Y/N)’s heartbeat in total silence, the citizen was tempted to ask a question that puzzled her mind too much to be left unasked. The medic looked a little too fascinated by the sounds of her heart, so she decided to wait for the right moment. When the unit finally pulled the earpieces out, (Y/N) opened her mouth slowly. “I’m not sure if I’m being rude or overly nosey, but what happened to your hands? I’ve never seen anything like that before.” she asked with an uncertain tone of voice. The sudden question woke Sebastian up from his thinking, making him pay attention to the citizen again. He rose his head up to see (Y/N)’s face, looking into her eyes for a few seconds before looking down to his hands. “Oh, my arms?” he asked, “I was wondering who would be the next one who’s curious about them, heh. Eigentlich, it was not an accident or anything like that. In fact, I was offered a new pair of arms before I was promoted four years ago.” he explained. (Y/N) simply nodded and looked a bit astonished. The medic continued with his answer a few seconds later after a break in his speech. “They told me that I would perform better on the field and my surgeries would be more successful due to the increased accuracy. Also, I’m multiple times stronger than I used to be. My arms aren’t the only thing that are augmented. They did the same thing to the both of my legs.”

The answer made (Y/N) wonder about the medic. He actually accepted the Combine to do whatever they wanted to his body, and didn’t seem to care about it all. “Why did you accept them to do such thing? How can you be sure that they don’t do anything bad to you during those operations? I mean, in my opinion, you don’t need this stuff. You’re good enough without all this.” The citizen assured him, seeming a bit sad as she thought about what he just told her. Sebastian returned the look swiftly after he heard her question. It caused him to be speechless for several moments. His smile fell. She apparently managed to hit a weak spot in his reasoning. “Sorry, I think I went too far and sounded way too judging.. God, why can’t I just sometimes keep my mouth shut--” she was cut off when the medic began to speak. “Do you think I had a choice, (Y/N)? It was either brainwashing and becoming an Overwatch medic or getting a new pair of arms and legs and becoming a divisional leader. Natürlich, I wanted to somehow keep my humanity.” he explained his situation, “Well, the little bits and pieces of it that I still have left in me, that is..”

It was the citizen’s turn to be speechless. She had no idea that he was actually forced to choose between something so harsh like that. Her eyes were already watering up. Maybe she was being overly emotional. Or maybe she was just way too empathetic. Either way, she wanted to make him feel better somehow. The medic noticed that the citizen in front of him was in the edge of crying, which he found unusual and something he hasn’t witnessed in years. The concept of emotions was much like something that he had abandoned years ago; but again, he felt its presence right in front of him. “(Y/N), bitte, please don’t start tearing up because of me.” he managed to say before he felt a pair of warm arms being wrapped around him, his eyes dilating radically after he realized that the citizen was actually hugging him. For a man who had been without physical contact for nearly ten years, the situation was extremely confusing. The fact that Sebastian found (Y/N) so amazing and attractive didn’t help the situation at all. And when he noticed that she was not going to let go of him too soon, his face got intensively red.

Clumsily, the medic returned the hug by somehow accomplishing to wrap his arms gently around the citizen, attempting not to squish or hurt her. It was sometimes hard for him to truly know how much power should be applied with his arms. At least the citizen was not struggling yet, but quite the contrary, she seemed to enjoy it since she buried her face in his chest armor. He let himself relax and get lost in the moment of intimacy, leaning his head against hers gently and closing his eyes, first letting her to decide if it was okay to do so. (Y/N) was surprised by how dedicated the unit was to their little hug, but so was she. At that moment, time lost its meaning in their lives. And for a little while, everything was fine and there was still hope for them to get through this all. “I think we both needed this.” the citizen whispered loud enough for the unit to hear what she said. Sebastian nodded slightly, apparently the feeling taking over his cognitive function, “Danke.”

After nearly five minutes passed, (Y/N) loosened her arms around his neck slowly, measuring his reaction. He seemed to think it was okay, since he tilted his head back slightly to make things easier for her. However, it appeared that Sebastian was not ready to let go of her. “I’m afraid I can’t let go of you.” he said in a slightly embarrassed tone of voice. The citizen looked up at him and rose her brows. “Oh..” she said before she realized what his intentions were. Or at least what she thought they were. “No, I mean it. I think my armor is stuck in your undershirt.” he continued, gulping. The citizen attempted to move a bit, realizing that Sebastian was right. It was a bit amusing to her, so she smiled at him. “So it appears. Let me see if I can do anything about it.” she suggested and put her hands behind her back carefully, searching from the part where Sebastian’s hands were stuck. The unit looked both embarrassed but happy. He was smiling as he felt (Y/N)’s hands touching his skin that were working their magic to solve the strange problem. She soon found out how to free the medic’s hands from her shirt, and finally after a few seconds, he was free.

Finally, Sebastian let go of the citizen, enabling (Y/N) to lean backwards, to properly sit on the bed behind her. “I’m uncertain how much time has passed since I actually hugged another human being. To be honest, it was nice.” he admitted, “I’ll remember this moment for ages to come. And truly, I hope that there will be more in the future.” After the medic said that, the citizen’s cheeks turned reddish again; Sebastian really knew the way to handle things like (Y/N). The medic noticed how she reacted to what he just said, and a slight smirk was now visible on his face. His amusement was way too clear by that moment. It appeared that he was about to say something, but the attempt failed when he heard radio chatter from his mask, in a way that he was needed somewhere.

“Ach, Entschuldigung. Looks like I have to run again.” he told the citizen, his expression softening quite a bit. “It’s okay. Duty calls, I guess.” (Y/N) followed the unit to her door, Sebastian turning around to look at her for the last time before leaving. “When can I see you again?” he asked, holding his mask in his hands. The citizen focused on looking into the blue eyes of the medic. “Anytime, really. If I don’t go get a job at the local factory, you can literally find me here whenever you want.” (Y/N) explained, “I don’t usually feel like venturing outside.” That was clear for Sebastian, who nodded and gave her his last smile. “Klar. Well, I should get going now. I’ll check on you again when I get the chance. It’s going to be a busy week.” he told her before putting his mask on, his yellow eyes lighting up when the electric circuit was complete between his suit and the mask, “I’m going to find a way, (Y/N). Tschüß.”

After this event, they didn’t talk to each other for weeks. Their eyes met a few times. The first was when (Y/N) was applying to work at the local Civil Worker’s Union. The other was when she was at the train station, getting her ration from the dispenser. As days passed by, she received food packages to her mailbox with little messages, the packages being much like the ones that were given to Civil Protection units. (Y/N) immediately knew who was behind all this, and used to put replies there for him. It didn’t last for long, though. As days passed, the food packages stopped appearing as well as the messages, and she didn’t see him anywhere anymore. The citizen had no idea what was the reason to all that, but she managed to hold her hopes up. But sadly, there were no traces.

One day, Apex was invited to meet Dr. Breen in the Citadel. They said he had a job for him, or something like that. Without resisting the meeting at all, Apex made his way up to the highest floor of the tower a few days later he received the message. The place was, simply said, terribly creepy. As he took a high-speed elevator, he saw stalkers repairing dropships on platforms nearby. It was hard to believe that those things used to be ordinary humans back in the day; they were rarely able to think themselves. They just did what they were commanded to do. As he kept seeing more traumatizing things nearby, he started feeling nauseous and unsure about the whole thing. The last time he visited this place was four years ago, when he was promoted.

Dr. Breen’s office remained the same. There was that gigantic control panel behind his wooden workdesk, the metallic floor surrounding them covered in a red carpet. The last rays of sunlight were illuminating the room, creating shadows. Apex never noticed Dr. Breen until the doctor turned his chair to face the visitor who had just entered his realm. “Dr. Sebastian Jäger. I was hoping that you could have been here a bit earlier.” he said in a low tone of voice, eyeing the unit from head to toe, “But it’s fine. I’ve got all the time in the world. Let’s skip all the unnecessities and go straight to the matter, shall we?” The unit nodded and walked a bit closer, close enough to converse with the administrator clearly. He still kept his distance, being a few feet away from the desk.

“The reason why I invited you here a few days ago is urgent. Just like four years ago, I want to give you a great opportunity. You’re one of the greatest, the best of the best, but I’ve heard rumors about you not being as effective as you used to be before the Resistance’s latest attempt for their uprising.” he explained, taking a short break in his speech, “I highly suspect that you’ve lost your motivation, since you’ve done the same tasks for several years now. Do you have anything to say about this?” The sudden question woke Apex up from his thinking; he wasn’t clearly listening before. “No, sir. I think that rumor is right and not misjudging by any means.” Apex admitted and rose his stare from his feet to Dr. Breen, to look like as if he was really paying attention to what the man had to say. He noticed a growing smile on Dr. Breen’s face.

“Therefore I’m offering you a promotion to the rank of commander.” The man’s voice echoed in the room, Sebastian’s eyes dilating. It was not fear or sorrow, it was actually a huge surprise to him. “Me, sir? A commander?” he asked. “Yes, indeed. We have decided that you are fit for this position. Still, there exist some things that need to be done, of course.”, he stopped before continuing after a few seconds, “Your senses will be enhanced. It includes your hearing, seeing, and even feeling. And yes, in case you’re wondering, there will be minor brain surgery to make all that happen. But it’s not going to be anything special.” The doctor assured, waiting for the unit’s answer. Immediately, Sebastian knew what was going to happen to him if he went through that surgery. There was no turning back, but he had no choice. “Yes, sir. I understand.” there was a hint of shakiness in his voice, which could be clearly heard due to the vocoder that was located in his mask, just in front of his mouth. The unit felt himself anxious about his fate, sweat emerging from his skin. “I accept your offer, sir.”

Dr. Breen’s smile had never been wider until this very moment. He rose his right eyebrow and nodded at the unit. “Good. I’m very pleased with your choice, doctor. Also, I have a little task for you, just to celebrate the rise of a new commander. I was supposed to let a JUDGE unit to do this, but it would be just rather boring. Why wouldn’t you handle a public amputation of a resistance leader that was captured from the ashes of their latest attempt? The event will take place in a week or so, I’ll let Civil Worker’s Union decide the final date and arrange everything for you. The surgery will take place after the amputation.” he suggested. Sebastian’s heart began to beat faster and faster in his chest. He wasn’t sure if he could actually do it. To shoot an innocent person who’s just trying to fight for the freedom of everyone. He gulped, but managed to open his mouth again to talk. “That would be an honor, sir. I will do it. For the Union.” After saying those words, he felt himself being completely lost. This was everything that Sebastian was afraid of, and now it all rained on him at once. Despite all this, he had an idea.


	6. The Promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of stuff happen in this chapter. And I've been crafty with SFM, as you can see! I hope it gives you guys a good experience while reading the fic. The pics relate to the chapters they're in.

When the morning of the public amputation came, the former Apex, now simply Commander, was preparing for it. He was wearing his brand new armor, now more advanced that the one he had before, feeling uncomfortable because of its substantial armoring and the lack of flexibility. Sebastian sighted and reluctantly slipped his new 357. into a holster that was attached to his utility belt. After this, he turned around to face the door of his room, just standing there for a while. He thought about how he ended up there in the first place. He thought about his decreased friends who were now just a distant memory. He thought about (Y/N) and how he missed her company; it was the only true company he had in his life. Slowly, he took the step towards the door of his apartment, putting on his mask and fastening it, his eyes glowing blood-red.

The sunlight was illuminating the area with its brightness as Sebastian walked out the Nexus, accompanied by two union units behind him. Small flakes of snow were falling from the sky. Down on the street were a lot of citizens, some actually celebrating the event, some being completely silent. In front of them stood a woman, bonded into a pole, assumingly being the Resistance leader who would soon get executed. Sebastian felt nauseous, even disgusted about the thing that he was going to do. He hated himself for it, and felt guilty for doing, as said by Dr. Breen, the right thing. But for him, it felt so wrong. There were two sides in this game, and he was in between them, not being able to choose which side to pick by himself.

As Sebastian was walking down the stairs, he was looking at the citizens all the time, like searching for someone. He thought that if he never saw the one he was searching for, this wouldn’t be too hard. He wanted to save the one certain from witnessing the horror he was going to perform in front of everyone. But at least she wouldn’t recognize that it was him, since the appearance of his armor was distinctive from what she had seen. If she ever knew, her opinion about him would possibly change quite a lot. Being ensured about this, Sebastian stopped at a distance that was good enough for the accuracy of his aiming.

Dr. Breen was witnessing all this from his tower, soon beginning to speak into his microphone. “Dear citizens. This is doctor Wallace Breen, the administrator. Today we are going to witness the amputation of a woman who has put the entire city in danger. She is the Resistance leader, miss Giralda Elder, who on the 5th of October attempted to destroy the peacefulness of our city by ordering her troops to kill anyone who was loyal to the Union. Therefore, to bring no more harm to the humanity and our Union, we have to kill her.” The crowd was getting a bit louder by now, their opinions differing. It even started a fight, but was soon stopped by two units that were taking care of the general order of the event. Sebastian didn’t really pay much attention to it, just took a short look. But when he was just about to turn his head to see the person who would get executed, he saw a very familiar face in the crowd.

It was (Y/N), who was holding her hands over her mouth, looking so terrified and distressed. Seeing her in that state made him truly regret even coming to this point, and he actually had the thought of escaping for a moment. He felt like a monster. However, Sebastian’s intention to flee the situation was stopped when he heard Dr. Breen’s voice again. “Commander. Take aim.” the administrator said in his monotonous voice into his microphone, observing the unit from his screen. At that moment, Sebastian was sure that he had never felt so horrible before. He was a doctor, and doctors are supposed to heal people, but now he was doing the complete opposite; soon he would kill a helpless human being who was tied to a damn pole. It all felt so ridiculous, and he was the one who committed it. Even if he hesitated it, he reached to take out his 357. from the holster. If he still had his real hand, it would shake violently at this moment. The air inside his mask was getting warm as he was breathing rapidly and trying to get some air. He rose the gun with only his one hand, and aimed towards the woman in front of her. When he felt like he was aiming to the right direction, his right hand was accompanied by the left one, giving support.

The most terrifying thing was that she was staring right into his eyes, not showing any emotion on her face. However, Sebastian could feel the hate that was radiating off her, making him feel uncomfortable. His body was getting numb from the adrenaline that began to flow in his veins as he flicked the safety off on his weapon, now aiming carefully into the woman’s head, being as precise as he could. The crowd behind him was totally silent as they waited for the administrator’s next order. When the moment was right, Sebastian turned his head to see (Y/N) in the crowd, noticing that she was staring back at him, observing his every move. That realization totally destroyed him. He was a bad man.

  
  
“Open fire.” echoed from building to building, the soundwaves dissolving in the air a few seconds ago after they were created. Sebastian’s finger on the trigger felt as if it was glued into that place, being unable to move. He closed his eyes after making sure that he was aiming to the right direction, taking a deep breath to get some air into his lungs. His feelings were a mess, and he himself felt being broken into millions of pieces, when he finally pulled the trigger, sending a bullet in the direction of the helpless victim. In a fraction of a second, the bullet penetrated her skull. Sebastian froze and was completely motionless. Even if he had killed a lot of people in his life, this one was completely unjustified.

(Y/N) witnessed as the woman fell unconscious and blood began to run out of the open wound on her forehead, her head tilting forward in a sign of death. (Y/N) couldn’t look anymore, so she turned her head away and closed her eyes. Many other people reacted the same way as she did. Sebastian soon lowered his weapon after he got over the worst, staring into the ground; his stress was taking over him, he wasn’t fully there. “Units, take the body inside.” Breen commanded. The units that accompanied Sebastian earlier walked over to the victim and cut off the ties, holding the body to prevent it from falling on the ground. When citizens began to leave back to their apartments, Sebastian was standing still.

After this event, the body was taken inside the Nexus and it was disposed. Sebastian went back to his room soon after he was able to even walk, locking it quickly behind him. He took his mask off and put it on a table which was next to the door. The man walked to the bathroom, in front of the faucet, just to wash his face. He opened the valve, letting the water flow for a little while. Meanwhile, he took off his gloves and set them aside, cupping his metallic hands together and placing them under the flowing liquid. Sebastian splashed water towards his face, enjoying the refreshing feeling of it on his skin. After he was done, he grabbed a towel and wiped his face dry with it. While he wiped his face, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. However, he couldn’t look at the view for much longer, exiting the bathroom soon after.

As the Sun was setting in the evening of that same day, (Y/N) was preparing herself to sleep. The coldness of her apartment had bothered her for several days, since the weather was getting colder day by day; it was already almost November. She shivered when she laid her back on the cold mattress of her bed, wrapping a warm blanket around her soon after she made herself comfortable. The last rays of sunlight were coming inside her room, lighting up the wall behind her bed in the colors of yellow and orange. It was funny that all the coldest days were always the sunniest, she thought before closing her eyes.

Someone opened the door of the same apartment building where (Y/N) lived, and walked inside as quietly as they could, closing the door after he stepped inside. The lights of the lobby were already shut down to save electricity, so the person used their own flashlight instead of turning the lights on. They walked up the stairs, first to the second floor, then proceeding to the third. Some of the citizens that lived in that apartment building were still awake, but none of them never heard the footsteps of the intruder. They entered the corridor of the third floor and walked to the door, which had the number 302 on it.

(Y/N) was awaken from her deepening snooze when she heard someone knocking on her door. The knocks were quite silent, as if the person behind the door attempted not to wake up the whole apartment building. The citizen was unsure if it was rational to go and open the door at this time of the day or just leave it be. She pushed the blanket off her and managed to get herself into a sitting position, feeling how sleeping seemed to be a better option than standing up. When the person behind the door knocked again, (Y/N) finally stood up and walked to the door.

As the citizen opened the door slowly and peeked what was behind it, the only thing she saw were two red glowing eyes on a tall, black-armored figure, staring directly back at her. It most likely creeped her out big time when she realized that the eyes belonged to the unit that amputated the Resistance leader earlier at the plaza. Her expression went from curious to terrified, and she took a few steps back, still having her hand on the doorknob. The red-eyed noticed how the citizen was actually frightened by their own presence, and slowly followed her deeper into the room, approaching her.

Before the citizen was able to do anything about it, she felt how the arms of the unit surrounded her, pulling her into a hug. At that moment, (Y/N) recognized who was under the armor almost immediately, feeling herself being very surprised by it. Back at the plaza, she couldn’t recognize him. She never believed that Sebastian was able to do such thing. He had been gone for weeks, doing something she had no idea of, but now he was there again. Despite of all that, the citizen worked her right arm behind the unit’s back, her left being placed on his shoulder, pressing her head tightly against his chest.

After they broke the hug and properly looked at each other, the citizen’s hands still on Sebastian’s arms, the unit began to speak under his mask. “(Y/N), I killed that woman.” Sebastian told the citizen, his voice shaking as he spoke, “And tomorrow, they will brainwash and upgrade me because they promoted me a week ago. I can’t bypass it anyhow.” After the man said this, the citizen couldn’t believe what he just told her. “What do you mean, Sebastian? They can’t force you to do such a thing!” She insisted desperately. “If they forced me to execute another person, they can force me to do anything for them, (Y/N). There’s no turning back from this.” Judging by the tone of his voice, he was about to start sobbing. The citizen reached up to his mask, unlocking it and taking it off. “There must be something. Just something we can do.” she said, looking up into his blue eyes. The first thing she noticed about him was how stressed out he looked like compared to how he looked like the last time she saw him without his mask. He must have had terrible time during the recent weeks, she thought.

The man was silent for a moment before his facial expression softened all the sudden. “(Y/N).. Entschuldigung. For not contacting you for weeks. I haven’t been so good to you.” he apologized, eyes wettening, “Ich fühle mich schlecht. Everything is crashing on me, and it feels so lethal.” The citizen listened to him carefully while she was holding his mask, her grip tightening on it. “I need to get out of City 17. But (Y/N), I’m afraid I’m running out of time. But I have an idea. A crazy idea. Therefore, I need to ask you something.” the unit told her, taking her left hand into his, “Can you run away with me tonight?”

This question left (Y/N) speechless. Yes, she had thought about that thing before, but knew she would never be able to escape on her own; every single border of the city was highly monitored, and she would get shot immediately if her escape attempt was seen by an officer. But Sebastian had the authority to go anywhere he ever wanted; he had no limits. “Sebastian, I have always wanted to do exactly that,” she took a short break in her speech to collect herself, “but I never had the choice to do so. That’s why I’m coming with you.”


	7. Into The Labyrinth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those two finally get out of City 17, but it's not the end their suffering. Again, thanks for anyone who reads this! Enjoy the journey.

The fact that (Y/N) agreed to come together with him and escape the city was a big thing for Sebastian to hear. “Bist du sicher, (Y/N)? When we leave this city, there is no turning back to our previous lives. From there, they will assume that we are rebels.” he spoke and looked into the eyes of the citizen, still holding her left hand, now only tightening his grip on it gently. She was looking straight back at him, her expression differing as she began to think about it. The idea of freedom sounded inviting, but at the same time, very dangerous. This is what she thought until she remembered that the man who was standing in front of her would come with. He was great with guns and medicine, so what was there to be afraid of?  
  
As the citizen seemingly began to open her mouth, the unit quickly cupped her chin in his left hand. “You don’t have to say yes. Only if you’re ready for it.” (Y/N) smiled up at him when she noticed how worried he was about the thing. “Sebastian, I prefer to go out to the vile world with you than live in this shithole as a slave of the Combine.” After the citizen said this, there was a visible smirk of happiness on Sebastian’s lips. “Achte auf deine Sprache, (Y/N). But you’re right about it, though. Maybe you’ve listened to yourself enough and heard the right answer, so I’m not going to question it anymore.” he admitted, “I’d be more than pleased to have you with me. You’re the reason I’m still standing, after all. The thought of leaving you here without my supervision could crush me. My coworkers are one of the most cruel cops I’ve ever worked with.” The citizen chuckled a little bit, a slight blush visible on her cheeks. “Take me with you, then.”Because the night was still young, they had plenty of time to prepare for the escape. (Y/N) had stuffed her suitcase full of things that she found necessary for her survival while Sebastian took nothing with him; only the weapon, .357 Magnum, that he had used earlier which was now in the holster which was attached to his utility belt. When they were ready to move, they made their way to the ground floor, keeping their steps as silent as possible. The cold air penetrated (Y/N)’s clothes as they stepped outside, since it was much colder than it was during the day. “We have to act casual until we reach the supply warehouse. It’s quite far away from here, but the route shouldn’t be too tricky with my full access to every part of this city.” Sebastian assured. The citizen nodded and held her suitcase tighter in her hand when they began to walk again. The man in front of her seemed very calm all the sudden. Maybe he was relieved by the fact that his bad dreams would possibly disappear after their escape. She wasn’t exactly sure.  
  
After they passed a few checkpoints in total silence, a blue-eyed unit came to them, recognizing the man who was walking the citizen somewhere. “Commander. I would like to ask you where you’re taking her at this time? It’s a bit weird.” The unit asked just out of curiosity, since the thing they were doing was quite unusual to see. Sebastian turned to face the unit, signaling (Y/N) to stay behind him. “Union. We have some unfinished business that must be taken care of immediately. Why don’t you go check the train station for me? I heard sounds of fighting there before.” Sebastian’s lie sounded so unbelievably believable that the unit never questioned it. “Of course, commander. Have a good night.” the unit said before he went to the direction of the train station. (Y/N) heard an amused, vocoded chuckle under Sebastian’s mask. He seemed to enjoy the privilege of his rank while he still could.

  
(Y/N) actually had no idea what Sebastian’s intentions were about their escape. But because she trusted him, she had no doubt about anything. Slowly but carefully, they approached the supply warehouse which was located in the inner border of the city. Sebastian took out the force field of the last checkpoint before the arrival to the supply warehouse. “This is the supply warehouse. It has thousands of items stocked up for Civil Protection officers. Inside it is also an Armored Personnel Carrier, or shortly ARC, which is for emergency situations. We’re going to use it from this point to get out of the city entirely.” he explained and turned to face the citizen that was standing behind him. “I’m afraid you have to stay outside for a while. I have to disable the force field from inside, but it shouldn’t take too long. Just wait for me, ja?” The citizen nodded in agreement. “Yeah, of course. Hopefully I won’t encounter any units.” she said with a slight smile on her face. Sebastian approached her and pulled his gun from the holster, handing it to her after he took the safety off on it. “Let this be your guardian angel while I’m inside."  
  
While Sebastian made his way to disable the force field that was blocking the access of the unauthorized personnel, (Y/N) placed her suitcase against a wall just to relax her hand for a while. She was holding Sebastian’s gun in her right hand, attempting to stay as alert as she could. Still, she wasn’t alert enough to hear the approaching footsteps of a unit that had noticed the citizen from the distance. The unit was actually patrolling the area for intruders, such as rebels, and simply  for ordinary citizens. For him, (Y/N) was a perfect bait. He came around a corner and pointed (Y/N) with his pistol as he ran towards her. (Y/N) noticed the approaching unit way too late, and she was soon slammed into the ground, her weapon being thrown out of her hand a few feet away. “Citizen. You know very well that you shouldn’t be here.” the unit told her while pointing directly at her head, “This results in amputation.”  
  
Unaware of the events that were occurring outside, Sebastian disabled the force field and walked out. “(Y/N), you can now come inside so we can gather our stuff and get out of here for good.” After closing his mouth, he saw (Y/N) on the ground, her chin bleeding. Just a few feet away from her stood a unit with a pistol in his hand, pointing at her and staring at Sebastian. “Du Arschloch.” The German emitted with his vo-coded voice, the blue-eyed turning to aim at him instead. Sebastian knew that he had to take care of that situation with only his fists, so he simply ran towards the unit as quickly as he could, his legs responding immediately. “Shit! A rogue.” the metrocop realized, so he shot a few times at him, attempting to aim directly into his head. The first bullet was a miss, another penetrated the armor of his left arm. By that time, Sebastian was close enough to grab the wrist of the unit and violently sprain it to disable his ability of shooting his gun. There was a final shot that flew into the sky before the unit dropped his pistol into the ground, emitting something that sounded like an expression of pain. Sebastian finished him off with lifting the metrocop off the ground with his hands on the unit’s neck, throwing him into the ground violently just as he did to (Y/N) before, to make sure that he would fall unconscious.   
  
Directly after the unit fell unconscious, Sebastian hurriedly kneeled in front of (Y/N) and lifted her up into a sitting position. “(Y/N), your chin is bleeding. Any other places that hurt?” he asked in worry, attempting to see any physical injury on her. The citizen looked a bit out of her mind, since she hit her head quite badly against the concrete. “No, I’m fine, really. No need to be so worried about me. I’m okay.” she assured him while he was seemingly digging something out from a pocket of his utility belt. It appeared to be a cloth, probably quikclot. He pressed it against (Y/N)’s chin gently, holding it there. “The patient never sees the full scale of their injuries. Therefore, you should let me check them first before making any assumptions.” Sebastian told her, a slight smile on his lips. His left arm was behind her back, holding her in that position. “But this time, you measured your injuries quite well, I have to admit.”  
  
Even if (Y/N) still had difficulty walking by herself, they managed to get inside the warehouse. Sebastian had put a plaster over the wound on the citizen’s chin, so it wouldn’t bleed anymore. The room was large and quite hazy; the only thing that illuminated the environment were the blue lights of the panels that were attached to the walls of the room. “You can sit on that crate over there. I’ll gather up some supplies meanwhile.” Sebastian suggested and helped the citizen to sit down, making sure that she was comfortably positioned on the crate. “Thanks for everything. I’m still feeling a bit funny, but I think it’s going to be gone in a few moments.” the citizen said, giving him a slight smile. “Take your time.” the unit told her and smiled before he began to rummage through the supply crates, attempting to find rations that were for Civil Protection officers, as well as ammo and medical supplies. (Y/N) began to look around her, noticing a huge car-like vehicle in front of her. It appeared to be the vehicle that Sebastian had mentioned before. The thought of actually being able to break free from the chains of a citizen felt amazing, and she began to feel like that she still had hope to survive.  
  
The job was quickly done, and soon they entered the vehicle. “I hope that there won’t be any backup forces waiting for us on the road.” (Y/N) wished, “But hey, Sebastian. Do you have to disable any trackers in your suit before we go? I’ve heard that units actually have those.” Sebastian turned to see the citizen as he started up the vehicle. “I did that a long time ago. It’s a surprise that they haven’t ran after me yet. Well, I’m relieved.” he told the citizen as he hit the accelerator gently. The vehicle made no noise, which was very useful for the two to stay undetected. “You seem like a man who’s prepared for anything, to be honest.” (Y/N) told him as she leaned back against the seat, closing her eyes. “Six years of service under the Universal Union did that to me. It also made me commit things that I never thought I’d be able to do. Aber jetzt.. I guess I’m doing what I want. Für mich, das ist die wahre Freiheit.”  
  
Only in a few minutes, they drove through the last force fields that blocked their access to the outside world. Even if there were a lot of units patrolling the gates, they did not stop them. “This makes me a bit scared, but I’m glad I can finally be free from my chains. It feels terrible to leave everyone else in the city, though.” The citizen said. “Verständlich. Das habe ich auch gedacht. I mean, I’ve thought that too. But every time I felt bad for them, I told myself that there will be a day when the Resistance rises up from the ashes and makes us all free. I have no doubt about it; I can feel it inside of me. And it’s going to happen soon.” The man assured while he was looking at a monitor that was in front of him. He focused on the driving. “I hope you’re right, Sebastian.” After this, (Y/N) fell into a deep sleep before she could even notice it herself. Sebastian took a look at her when he noticed how silent she was all the sudden, but was relieved to see that she had simply fallen asleep.


	8. Der Vogel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some fluff and closeness in this chapter. I've already written like 3 more chapters for this story, but of course I won't publish them all at once!

It felt like only a few minutes had passed, but when (Y/N) woke up, it was already morning. She stretched her body on the seat, recalling that she was still in her apartment. But when she opened her eyes, the citizen noticed that it was actually all real. When she looked to see the German that would perhaps be next to him on his seat, he wasn’t there. A slight panic ignited inside of her, but she was almost sure that Sebastian had just gone out to explore or something related to that activity. Now when she began to think about the previous night, she remembered that Sebastian was still awake after she had fallen asleep. Did that man ever actually sleep? It didn’t seem to be so, because he was always on the move. (Y/N) decided to open the door on her side and peek out, just to see if she could see him nearby. But all that was visible to her was a cliff and some grass. Soon she heard noise that resembled the sounds of splashing water. That made (Y/N) curious, so she ventured out to investigate.

 

Sebastian had woken up just twenty minutes earlier than (Y/N), and the first thing he wanted to do as a rogue unit was to wash himself. In that area was located a source of fresh water, which was one of the remaining unpolluted waters. He was only in his underwear even if the water was nearly way too cold for a person to be in there, but he did not seem to care. (Y/N) walked around the vehicle, and she immediately noticed the man in the pond, recognizing it to be Sebastian. This was the first time she had seen him without his armor, and the view, admittedly, was not bad at all. His aluminium prosthetics actually blended quite well into him, and it they did not look bothering. Overall, Sebastian was very attractive and well-built. The man happened to turn around to face (Y/N), but he wasn’t actually aware of her presence. When he noticed her, his face turned into a slight smile, but he was perhaps a bit embarrassed to be seen in this state.

 

“Ach, hallo. I didn’t know you were there.” he said in such a relaxed tone of voice, beside the fact that he was almost naked in front of the citizen and the water was very cold. “Yeah, hi! I just woke up and heard you taking a bath, and.. Well, now I’m here. Isn’t the water a bit too cold?” she asked while approaching the man slowly, hands folded across her chest. Her cheeks were burning for being looked at by that beautiful man. “Nein, wirklich nicht. This is the only way to take a shower from now on until we reach a Resistance checkpoint. I felt quite fuzzy when I woke up, so I was tempted to do this.” (Y/N) had hard time not to look at his body and keep her eyes up, but beside of that, she succeeded. “That looks quite inviting. I might as well join you, if you don’t mind.” the citizen suggested. The man blushed slightly by the thought of that, and nodded. “Of course I don’t. You have all the privilege to do it, you know that.” Sebastian’s smile widened.

 

As (Y/N) appeared to the pond again after she had undressed in the APC down to her underwear, Sebastian couldn’t help but stare at her for a while, until he realized that it was all so inappropriate. The citizen actually noticed his long stare from the distance and blushed, pretending that she never saw it. “How can you stay in that water for so long? You’re just kinda standing there.” she questioned as she dipped her toes into the water, feeling the coldness of it surrounding her skin, “This is totally way too cold. Maybe you’re just plain insane, or I’m a wimp.” the citizen confessed as she made her way deeper into the water. “The first possibility is much likely to be true. I’m that kind of man who doesn’t hesitate to use his bonesaw when the situation is right.” The unit confessed with a slight smirk on his face. (Y/N) looked at him, surprised. “I didn’t know that you had a dark side.” Sebastian chuckled playfully in a deep tone of voice when he heard her comment. “You have only seen just a fraction of it.”

 

The comment of the unit made (Y/N) to raise her right brow in curiosity. “Oh really? Show me." Sebastian grabbed her hands and pulled her deeper into the water, making her squirm. The smile on his face was smug and evil, something she had never seen before. “Ah, what do you think you’re doing? Please stop, it’s so cold!” she screamed and tried to get back to the shore, but Sebastian just pulled her closer to him, into the dark water. “I’ve heard rumors that even the remaining bodies of water that are pure might contain those terrifying fish that can be found in the sea.” he reminded her, voice deepening. The citizen looked terrified and tried to struggle even more, but stopped when she heard the unit laugh at her, his voice sounding insane. “No, not really. They can’t actually survive in small ponds like this one.” Hearing that was actually a very huge relief for (Y/N), while she was almost glued to the German’s chest. “You got me. Damn you, Sebby.”

 

It took five minutes before they returned to their vehicle and dried themselves with towels. The water surely was cold, but the air felt actually colder than it. (Y/N) opened her suitcase and took out a cleaner uniform that was identical to the one she had used before. Sebastian himself began to put himself back into his armor; first the undershirt, then the lower part of the uniform, then the upper, and last the gloves and the boots. He clipped his mask to his utility belt; he didn’t need camouflage there in the middle of nowhere. When he finished dressing himself up, he turned to see (Y/N), who was combing her hair. Her (H/C) locks were actually much silkier-looking than they were before. Maybe there was something magical in the water. “Möchtest du jetzt vielleicht frühstücken?”

 

The food never tasted so good, (Y/N) thought when she was digging her fork into her steamed vegetables and chicken. It was on a completely higher level than the food the citizens got in those ration packages. Still, it was microwaved, but she truly enjoyed it though. As the citizen was eagerly eating and sitting on the back of the vehicle, the unit who was just a few feet away from her let out a soft chuckle. Seeing the citizen so happy made the German feel good about himself. Maybe he wasn’t a bad man, and it was just a reputation he had gained while he served under the Union. It was just the uniform that nobody was ever able to see past, but after he met the citizen, he felt himself opening up to the world. The progress was slow, but visible even to (Y/N), who discovered more of that man, little by little. (Y/N) also noticed that she was developing some kind of strong feelings towards him from the day they had to survive through the storm of bullets together, but she wasn’t sure if he felt the exact same thing. He was pretty much everything that (Y/N) had ever wanted; someone to be with in the dark times.

 

Later that morning when they had finished their meals, their journey continued. The road they were driving on was crumbly, making the driving a bit uncomfortable. (Y/N) was reading a map and keeping a track of where they were going, easing herself on the seat. “What will we do when we reach the Resistance hideout? Do you think they will take us in?” the citizen broke the silence and turned her head from the map to face the unit. He had his eyes tightly on the monitor, both hands on the wheel, holding it so professionally. “They will take you in, but I’m not so sure about me, since I’m dressed like their enemies. Hopefully they will never find out that I killed their leader.” Sebastian told her after a little delay in the conversation, “Whatever happens, I’m always going to protect you from the Universal Union. I won’t let those men hurt you anymore. Even if they’re coming after us, I’ll risk myself for you.”

 

The appreciation he felt radiated towards (Y/N), her heart skipping a beat when he said that. Was he actually valuing her life over his own, or did he just say that without a second thought? “I really appreciate what you say, but you should value yourself better. You can’t be replaced by anyone or anything, please understand that, Sebastian. You don’t have to put me before yourself.” she insisted in a softer tone than usual, and the expression of her face was somewhat between worry and happiness. In fact, since (Y/N) was born, not much care was given to her when she grew up. The Universal Union had already conquered the Earth by the time she was a teenager, so she actually never experienced what it was like to be truly admired and looked after by someone. The concept of it was something new and confusing to her. “(Y/N), after I lost my fiancée into the hands of the Combine, I can’t let myself risk another life that I can still save. Another death can’t be my fault again.” Sebastian confessed and kept his eyes on the monitor, his teeth biting his lip softly.

 

The knowledge of Sebastian’s fiancée surprised (Y/N), because she never knew he had a lover in the past. “Your fiancée.. What happened?” the citizen asked, her voice being soft and silent. “We tried to escape one night from the City 12, where we used to live about seven years ago. But they..” his voice shattered, not being able to continue for quite a while, “.. they shot her dead. And I just ran away, escaped. I will never forgive myself for doing so.” (Y/N)’s face saddened when she heard about the destiny of his lover. She couldn’t compare any of her experiences with it, and she could only imagine how it felt. “Sebastian, I’m so sorry. I had no idea things went like that in your life.” she gave her condolence. The German turned to see the citizen, his face looking as miserable as ever. His left hand dropped from the wheel, being placed on his thigh. “It’s just how it is. Maybe it was meant to happen. After that night, I thought my life lost all its meaning. It drove me to join the Civil Protection. I assumed that I was already a monster, and I couldn’t get any worse. It’s all still so clear in my head.” his accent thickened word by word.

 

Without waiting another moment, (Y/N)’s right hand slowly made its way to the man’s hand, holding it gently in hope that it would make him feel better. “If there is something I can do, just please, tell me. I may be bad in these things since I haven’t interacted much with people, but I still want to help.” The unit’s expression changed when he felt her warm hand touch his gloved one. He looked at her swiftly before returning his stare back at the monitor. “Your lovely presence next to me is already helping, (Y/N).” he answered, his hand starting to hold hers on his thigh, “I couldn’t ask for more than the company of another human being.” A small smile appeared on the German’s lips when he finished his sentence and turned his head to see the person who was sitting next to him. For (Y/N), it was such a special moment. She felt like all the tension and awkwardness suddenly disappeared between the two and transformed into something beautiful yet so strong. His blue eyes were full of light and hope. (Y/N) couldn’t help but smile back at him.

 

It was calming when they drove slowly along the abandoned highway in total silence, just enjoying the presence of one another. The man’s thumb began to stroke (Y/N)’s hand, feeling her warmth through the glove against his metal. It felt so good and comforting, and he never wanted it to end. (Y/N) closed her eyes and let herself fall into a trance-like state for a while, and just focused on the gentle strokes that the German created with his thumb. She had no idea an accidental meeting could turn into something like this.


	9. A Misunderstanding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Medic's ass is going to get kicked in this chapter. But it's going to end well! And anyway, I'm going to change (Y/N) to the word "you" in the following chapters, so you dear readers might feel more content with the story (not to mention that there's gonna be some niiiice romance from now on). Oh and before I forget: I won't be posting any more chapters this week because I'll go on a mini vacation before I go back to campus.

Due to their slow style of travel, they reached the Resistance hideout within an hour. It was located deep in a forest, neatly hidden from any possible intruders, especially the Combine. Sebastian drove quite close to the hideout, but he kept the distance long enough just in case. Since the place itself was very silent, it wasn’t sure if the hideout was still active within the Resistance forces. Sebastian stopped the vehicle and put on the handbrake. The expression on his face seemed to have a hint of nervousness. “(Y/N), I need you to stay here. Just in case this area is infested with headcrabs or zombies, or anything. It looks quite silent to me, like there was no one around.” he told the citizen. “Alright, that sounds like a plan. I’ll radio you if I see anything on the monitors.” (Y/N) said with a small smile on her face. The man returned the smile and pulled his weapon from the holster, taking the safety off on it and reloading the weapon. “Wünsch mir Glück!”

As Sebastian got out of the vehicle and closed the door, he began to walk towards the damaged building which was higher on the hill. He kept a strong hold of his weapon, being alert at all time of his surroundings. The birds that were flying by made a noise that startled him enough for him to almost aim at them, but after he realized that the birds were not a real threat, he lowered the gun. Finally, when Sebastian reached the building that was located on the top of the hill, he kneeled down to get through a tiny hole that was on a fence which surrounded the house. The strange thing that he noticed were the gates that were locked. He thought that something must’ve been going on there. The German went to the right, just to investigate what was on that side of the house. There were some rusty steel pipes attached to the brick wall, and behind them was a metallic door that appeared to be recently used. This made him very curious, so he began to approach the door.

 

All of the sudden, the man felt that somebody was approaching him from the back. He turned around, and without being able to react, he felt a painful kick on his stomach, the feeling making him drop his weapon on the ground. Just seconds after that, he was kicked again, now forcing him to be slammed against the wall that was located behind him, his legs betraying him. When he recovered from his confusion, he saw a woman in front of her in Resistance gear, throwing her SMG to the side. She kneeled down in front of him and tilted her body towards the unit, just enough to reach her left hand to his neck, the fingers surrounding it strongly to choke him. Then, she raised her fist to the air. “What the fuck is a metrocop doing here? I saw it when you parked your vehicle down there and held a gun in your hands. I could hit you until you’d die, but I really want to hear your shitty explanation first.” the woman threatened him, her grip around his neck tightening by second, “Start talking, you fucker!”

 

Sebastian was so out of his mind, and he couldn’t answer the question for a while. His pupils were enlarged and he looked terrified; it was unusual for him to be in danger, because he was usually the one who pointed at people with his gun. “Bitte.. Hör auf. I’m a rogue unit. I have a citizen with me.” he tried to speak, his voice coming out weak and distressed, “I’m a doctor. We have supplies. Guns, armoring..” his sentence was cut off when he coughed, because he couldn’t get much air into his lungs. The woman couldn’t believe him, but her grip began to soften. Finally, she let go of his neck and let him breath normally. “Man, I wish you’re not playing a game with me now.” she said, her voice still relatively aggressive. Sebastian turned his body to the side, attempting to get some fresh air.

 

Meanwhile, (Y/N) got enough of sitting in the APC and walked outside up to the hill. Soon she noticed a friendly looking man walking towards her from the top. “Hey. What are ya doin’ here all alone with that Combine vehicle? I saw someone walk outside about five minutes ago, but one of my friends went to took care of it.” the man said in a Southern accent, “Are ya friends with that person?” (Y/N) looked at the man, nodding. “Yes, he actually wanted to see if this hideout was still active. We escaped from City 17 last night. He’s a doctor, also. Um, can you guys take us in?” the citizen asked and felt a bit awkward when she asked such a question. “Yeah, sure! A man like him could help us a lot. Follow me, let’s go see if he’s still up there.”

 

The citizen followed the rebel up to the building and tried to look around just in case Sebastian was visible somewhere. When they walked close enough, they could hear a woman talking just around a corner. “That must be her. I think she’s talkin’ with your partner.” The man proceeded to walk with a slight smile on his face. Within a few seconds, they saw the woman standing in front of the slightly injured Sebastian, who was still sitting against the wall. “You seriously frightened me with that uniform of yours. I thought that our hideout was under attack! Please call before you come, you dork.” The woman was seemingly giving Sebastian a lecture about his ‘bad manners’. (Y/N) noticed Sebastian’s state and looked worried, but she was relieved to see that he was quite alright.

 

“Hey, Jenner! Stop givin’ him a lecture and listen up.” the male rebel shouted at the woman before she was able to say another word of insult, “These two people are survivors and they have some souvenirs from the City 17 in their APC.” He still had a slight smile on his face, even if the situation was a bit uncomfortable for them all. “Then why the hell do they have an APC and why is this guy dressed like something we should kill?” the woman insisted and crossed her arms upon her chest, her face in a frown. “Hey, hey, hey. Chill out. They’re probably skilled enough to steal things like those from the Combine, so don’t be delusional. And besides, the guy whose ass you just kicked is a doctor, so be nice or he won’t be treatin’ ya when ya need it the most.”

 

Sebastian listened to their conversation and put his hands against the wall to stand up from the ground, his expression being quite annoyed. “Eigentlich,” he began to talk, attaching the attention of the three, “I was one of them just 24 hours ago. This is not a camouflage.” Those words silenced the two rebels and made (Y/N) feel nervous. Sebastian totally shouldn’t have said that in this situation! “I knew that from the moment that I saw you. You smelled like blood, like every each of them does.” the woman began to talk again, her hands turning into fists, “Man, you have no idea how much I hate your guts.” Before she was able to do anything to Sebastian, (Y/N) quickly dashed to in the middle of the two. “Please don’t be so harsh on him. He’s an amazing man, and could never put a citizen in danger. Don’t just judge him because he used to serve under the Universal Union. His ideology is not the same as theirs. That’s why he abandoned them.” she talked, attempting to prove a point there. The male rebel behind the woman tried to encourage (Y/N) by nodding as she spoke. However, the expression on the woman’s face didn’t soften a bit. “I think I’m beginning to believe you, but you better watch out if you’re lying.” The male rebel sighted and got enough of the woman’s blaming attitude. “Oh please! You’re always so distrustin’ towards everyone. Just shut up. Shut. Up. Ma’am. Please.  And let these people inside.”

 

The man’s request was effective, because the lady finally let those two inside of the building. They walked numerous stairs down until they reached the actual hideout. It was full of computers and screens, as well as supplies and there were about seven people. Most of them were talking to each other and planning something in front of a map that was attached to the wall. “It’s a bit silent here. Half of our troops were killed during the latest uprising attempt in City 17. But we’re managin’.” the man spoke and turned to see the two, “And anyway, my name is Dell Conagher. I’m in charge of all the practical stuff, such as the computers and other mechanical things. I can also shoot a gun, but I prefer to stay with the machines. I used to live in Texas before this all started, but I guess I’ll never be able to return there.” he introduced himself in a friendly manner, a soft smile on his face. (Y/N) returned the smile and introduced herself to Dell. When it was Sebastian’s turn, he gave the other man a professional handshake. “I’m Sebastian Jäger, and I’m from Germany.” he said shortly. “I heard from (Y/N) earlier that you are a doctor, that right?” The German nodded when he heard Dell’s question. “Yes, indeed. If you need a doctor around here, I’d be more than pleased to take the position of being one.”

 

After this, Sebastian and a rebel went outside to get the supplies from their vehicle, carrying them down to the hideout. Meanwhile, Dell showed (Y/N) around, introducing her to the people that permanently lived there. She noticed how many of them had escaped from the surrounding cities, just like her. But she also met a few who were born to freedom, which she found unbelievable. They told her that they used to work at the Black Mesa Research Facility, the place where it all began. She didn’t want to blame them, because it was just an accident they could do nothing about. When Dell was done showing her the places, he turned to see (Y/N). “Before I forget, I would like to show you the place where ya guys can sleep and have some privacy.” he told her. At least she got to sleep with a friend and not with someone completely random, which was very important to her.

 

Later that day when the night finally came, (Y/N) and Sebastian had finally settled into the hideout. Now they were in their shared room. The citizen was laying on her own bed that was located on the right side of the room, not very far away from Sebastian’s. She was wearing her white undershirt and comfy black pants that she had taken from her suitcase. Her jacket and jeans were folded on a chair that was next to the door. Sebastian was still wearing his armor while sitting on the edge of his bed, and was writing something on his datapad. It was a device that was given for him by the Combine, but now he used it to store his thoughts and plans for the future. The room was dim and the only thing that illuminated it was the screen of the datapad and a small lamp that was next to the citizen’s bed. She was actually observing the unit in secret, measuring his every expression and move as his hands moved swiftly on the keys of the datapad. He was so focused on the thing that it made (Y/N) wonder what he was actually doing. She intended to find out.


	10. Under Your Spell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry if somebody doesn't like the fact that I added a lot of German in this chapter. I tried to keep the language simple for the people who are non-German speakers and read this fic. I hope that you guys enjoy it, though! Seems like the story's getting "steamier" by every chapter.

The man reached down to take a sip from a glass of water that was located on a small table next to his bed, and noticed that he had a secret admirer, or in this case, a curious pair of eyes. You noticed that your eyes met, and you smiled softly at the German and turned your head towards him to see him better. “What are you doing? You seem so focused.” you asked in curiosity, your hand wandering to your face to move the bangs out of the way of your eyes. After that gesture, Sebastian didn’t turn to look at his datapad anymore. He was smiling at you in the certain way that made your heart beat faster. “Ach, I’m just writing some notes about today.” he answered and fixed his position on the bed, letting his legs rest. “Can I see?” Without waiting for his answer, you approached him and sat next to him on the bed and crossed your legs. “Of course. The only problem is that it’s in German. I’ve always been delusional about the Combine stealing my datapad, so I use my native language instead of English.” he explained and handed the device to you.  
  


You tried to understand what he wrote, but you really didn’t have much idea about it; just a few words here and there, but nothing else. “I’ve always thought that German sounds harsh, but it actually looks quite beautiful.” you confessed and smiled even wider. “Many foreigners think that it sounds hard. Maybe it’s the media that has influenced them. Well, be glad you haven’t heard me scream in my mother tongue. It’s the definition of ‘harsh’.” he chuckled and smirked at you, his hands fingering the fabric of his pants. “Hm. I find that hard to believe. I think it’s harsh in any language, really. And besides, I find it nice when you speak German.” you confessed and looked up at him, pouting slightly without intending it. “Na ja, ich finde es nichts Spezielles. Englisch klappt mir sehr gut, aber ich finde die Wörter ganz schwer zu sagen. Und die Grammatik ist wirklich nicht meine Stärke.” the German said, leaving you unsure what he just said, but it besides that, sounded wonderful to you ears. “You tease. Now I’m stuck, Sebby.”

 

The man hissed at the nickname that you had given to him. “Stop calling me that or I’ll keep you up all night, Süßling. That’s just awful.” You chuckled before you noticed that the man was leaning a bit closer to you by every second, his left hand slowly approaching your left one. You two looked at each other for quite a while before Sebastian collected all his courage to hold you hand. You felt your cheeks burning when you felt his cold hand on your skin, concealing it. “I wouldn’t mind if you actually did that, though.” your voice came out silent and shaky. The datapad in your hand was soon released out of it, onto the mattress. “Meinst du das wirklich? Ich muss das einmal fragen.” Combining the words that he had told you in the past, you managed to understand the question. “Ja, wirklich.” you answered in your slightly broken pronunciation, which Sebastian thought was adorable. There was a growing smirk on his face, and you felt a bit embarrassed. “Nicht schlecht, (Y/N). Aber du brauchst mehr Praxis.”

 

Without waiting for another second, the German put his right hand behind your back and pulled you closer in a gentle movement. Before he proceeded any further, he wanted to find out if it was okay to do so. You didn’t resist his move at all even if you were a bit surprised by it, and you leaned closer to the man, your cheek touching his shoulder. This little gesture made Sebastian smile, as you seemingly enjoyed the intimacy between you two. “Tell me if you feel uncomfortable about this.” he whispered and stroked your back in a pair of slow, long movements with his palm. “I’m liking it so far.” you answered and held the man’s hand tighter in yours.

 

You turned your head a bit to see the man’s face. “I’ll never forget the moment when you let me sleep on your comfy couch in your apartment.” The man chuckled. “I’m glad you appreciate it, even if it was the least I could do. Too bad that couch is not mine anymore.” he agreed. Your sleepiness was, again, taking over your cognitive function. This didn’t pass unnoticed by the man, and he soon gave your body more support by letting you lean against him even more. “Don’t hesitate to fall asleep.” You odded in a slight movement and yawned. “Why aren’t you sleepy? It’s midnight.” you asked the question that had puzzled your mind for quite a while. Sebastian chuckled slightly at your question, sighting. “I’m trying to avoid seeing nightmares. Every time I fall asleep, I wake up a few hours later. It’s a bit problematic.” You opened her eyes and tilted your head to see Sebastian’s face. “So that’s why I’ve never seen you sleep.” you realized, your face saddening within seconds with a mix of worry. The man nodded, his expression turning into a sad smile. “Genau.”

 

After he confirmed it, you couldn’t help but feel bad for him. You knew that you had to help him somehow. “Let me help you sleep. Please?” Gently, you used your arms to get Sebastian to lay on the bed, which was easy because he didn’t resist the movement at all. He positioned his head on a pillow, attempting to get comfortable. “Liebling, I feel like a baby. This is a ridiculous problem I’m having, and it’s embarrassing to actually reveal it to someone.” You put your finger on his lips, wanting him to stay silent. “It’s not embarrassing. I think the fact that you see nightmares every night is a sign of..” you took a long pause, “.. stress, perhaps. I’ve experienced the exact same thing myself in the past. It’s dreadful.” Sebastian listened to you carefully. “I think someone’s playing doctor, Hase. I’m the doctor here. I should be the one who experiments on people, anyway. I’ve always been the one to do that.” You raised your brows and looked a bit frightened for a moment. “Did I say that out aloud? Oh, well..”  You interrupted him. “No, it’s fine. I understand you mad scientist types.” you giggled.

 

“‘Mad scientist types’.” the German mumbled and closed his eyes at last, “All that healing I did was actually just to satisfy my curiosity. Combine appreciated it. They had no idea about my real intentions.” Meanwhile, you grabbed a pillow from your bed and positioned it behind your back, leaning against it. “Uh-huh. You really like practicing medicine, then?” you asked a question and crossed your arms above your chest. “It’s my life! My mother used to be a nurse. I could read her old medical books all night long when I was a teenager. She was so proud of my career decision, but never wanted me to become the crazy doctor I am.” he smiled in his smug and evil way, opening his eyes enough to see your reaction. You pouted and let out a small sigh, “I think it’s adorable how much you love practicing medicine. I’ve always found surgeries so disturbing and scary. Human body looks terrible on the inside.” The German chuckled and cleared his throat. “Hmm, then you definitely haven’t found the beauty of it yet. How about if you’d assist me during the next possible operation? You would make a brilliant assistant, Liebe.” You nodded nervously. “Well, if you really think so, I guess I should give it a try. But be prepared to see me getting dizzy.”

 

Their conversation continued for a long while until Sebastian surprisingly fell asleep. You were just about to say something until you noticed the state of the man that was lying next to you. You were still sitting on the side of the bed. “Doctor?” you asked, just in case he was still aware of his surroundings. Apparently not, because you didn’t hear an answer from him. His face looked as relaxed as ever, and his breathing was peaceful as his chest rose and then fell. This made you smile. Because he was unaware of your presence, you leaned over him and gave him a kiss on his forehead. “Sleep well, doc.” After this, you grabbed your pillow from your back, shut off the light, and went to your bed to get some sleep.

 

In the middle of the night, Sebastian suddenly woke up from his sleep, feeling drops of sweat on his forehead. A bad dream, again. But he remembered nothing about it. The first thing the man noticed was that you were sleeping on your bed, and you were okay. Still, he was disappointed in himself. “Scheiße..” he swore to himself in his native language, managing to get into a sitting position. The German wiped the sweat off his forehead and sighted, his hands running on his face down to his neck. He grabbed his datapad from the side table and checked the time; 2 am. Well, at least he still had plenty of time to fall asleep again before morning, he thought. He decided to get out of his armor to feel more comfortable, so he began to take it off, part by part.

 

Apparently he was loud enough to wake you up from your light sleep. You opened your eyes slowly, seeing only unclear shadows and hearing noises of undressing. It was Sebastian. “Are you awake?” you asked and tilted your head towards the source of the noise. Sebastian got a bit frightened by the sudden question of you because it was so silent before, but he soon recognized the voice. “Ah, ja. A bad dream again.” he said as he finished undressing himself; he was wearing only a pair of black pants that he used under his armor. They felt much more comfortable than all that heavy gear he had on himself just a few minutes ago. You weren’t able to see him clear enough to acknowledge this fact. “Would it help if you had someone beside you?”

 

The German was truly surprised by your question, or actually, suggestion. He turned to face your bed to answer you. “Hm. I have never actually tried it, natürlich, because never had the chance.” he answered and took a few steps towards you after grabbing his pillow from the bed, “But I’d be curious to try it out.” Your face was yet again flushed by the thought of the whole thing. You moved yourself to the side, attempting to give him as much space as possible. When he heard your movements, he gently sat on the edge of the bed, lowering himself into a sleeping position soon after. The bed was a little too small for two people to sleep comfortably, but it was fine. You could feel Sebastian’s cold, metallic shoulder touching yours, rubbing it gently without intention while he was searching for a comfortable position. You could smell him clearly now; it was a mix of expensive cologne and gunpowder, just like you had imagined.

 

“Danke for letting me.. sleep with you.” the man tried to make the sentence sound appropriate for the situation, even if it had other meanings behind it. You turned your body towards the wall and were now lying on your side. “Yeah, no problem. Hopefully it’ll do the trick.” you mumbled, your face only inches away from the wall. You felt him turn to face you, his breathing gently hitting your hair and neck. Oh God, he’s so close, you thought to yourself. Now even you were getting a bit sweaty, even if the room was quite chilly. “Are you comfortable?” the man whispered in a thick accent, his voice sounding huskier to your ear than ever before. “Yeah..” your voice cracked slightly as you answered him, your cheeks redder than ever, “It’s fine, really.”

 

The man behind you highly doubted your answer, but he let it pass without questioning you even more. However, he was able to sense your nervousness and sudden shyness in that situation. “Na dann, gute Nacht.” he said to you with a slight smirk on his face, which was not visible to you. “Good night.” you managed to answer and closed your eyes swiftly. The only thing you heard was the German’s breathing and the heart pounding in your chest. It appeared that he actually fell asleep much faster than you did.


	11. Target Practice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really didn't put much effort into the picture. But I hope you put your enjoyment into the chapter, not the picture of it! Enjoy.

During the night, you managed to get nearly eight hours of sleep even if Sebastian had interrupted you once during the night. It was hard to know what time it was when you woke up, since you were sleeping underground and there were no windows or anything. However, you opened your eyes and noticed that you were still facing the wall in front of you, but something behind you had moved closer to you, and it felt as if something had been glued to your back. Apparently, it was the German, who appeared to be still fast asleep. He had moved closer to you during the night, and there was not even an inch between you two. You could feel the every edge of his stomach and chest, and you found it slightly disturbing, since you had never actually experienced such thing before in your entire life. You decided to stay motionless for a little while and attempted to get over that thing.  
  


Soon after you made your decision, you began to feel the man behind you move, like he was waking up. He mumbled something in his native language and took a deep breath before he placed his cold palm on your lower arm. Was he actually doing that on purpose? You had no idea about it, but he was invading your personal space way too much by that moment. Slowly, you rose yourself up to a sitting position and attempted to slide down to the edge of the bed which was located near the man’s toes. You succeeded, and when you finally stood up, you took a short look at the German who was still sleeping on your bed, apparently not being aware of the fact that his ‘plushie’ was gone.

 

Sebastian’s right arm was placed under his pillow and his legs were spread over the bed comfortably. He had buried the half of his face into the pillow, eyelids closed lightly. Damn, he actually had a very nice shape for a man of his age, you thought. His back was well-formed and the prosthetics that were attached into him looked very good. You weren’t able to turn your head away for a long time, until you noticed that he was about to wake up from his sleep. A silent grunt escaped from his mouth and he opened his eyes slowly. You grabbed your jacket from the chair and started to put it on yourself, pretending that you weren’t eyeing him just a few moments ago.

 

The man had no memory of why he was sleeping on the wrong bed, but he certainly noticed that you weren’t there anymore. All that excess warmth had gone away, which was the exact reason why he woke up in the first place. He turned himself to lay on his back, and immediately saw you as you were buttoning your jacket. “Guten Morgen, Hase.” he said in his native language, calling you with your pet name that he had given to you. You immediately turned to face him again, his blue orbs staring right at you. He looked rather ravishing when he had his hair slightly messy, and besides, he was not wearing anything on his upper body. You gave him a faint smile as you felt your cheeks heat up again. “Good morning. How did you sleep?” you asked him as he snuggled the back of his head tighter into the pillow.

 

“Better than ever. However, I hardly think that I’ll able to move for the next five minutes. Gah, it must be so late already.” You checked the time from the clock that was located on the table nearby. “No, not really. It’s only seven in the morning. No need to rush anywhere.” Sebastian looked satisfied all the sudden as he heard your answer, and smiled even wider. “Wunderbar.” he whispered and closed his eyes, “Did I.. bother you last night in any possible way? Zum Beispiel, I might’ve stolen your pillow.” the German asked in curiosity and positioned his hands on his gut. While he had his eyes shut, you had the chance to take a longer look at his body again. “I can’t really say anything about the case because I didn’t wake up even once when you slept next to me.” you answered him, “It was nice, though. It’s something I’ve never experienced.”

 

The man opened his eyes when he heard your opinion about the thing. “Wirklich? Hmm, I must agree that it was quite wonderful. Looks like I’ve found the cure for my sleeping problem.” he confessed, “I’m really looking forward for the next time.” You felt how your heart began to beat faster after you heard the German’s opinion. Sebastian knew how to make you completely flushed within seconds. As unfortunate as it was, soon you heard someone knock the door that was located right behind you. Immediately, you turned to face the door in intention to open it. Sebastian got himself into a sitting position, from which he soon stood up. You pulled the door knob.

 

“Hey, would ya two like to have some breakfast? It’s usually at this time, I forgot to tell ya that yesterday.” the kind man with a Southern accent was behind the door when you opened it. Dell had his signature smile on his face, which was a nice thing to see in the morning. “Oh, good morning Dell! We were just preparing ourselves. We’ll come up in just five minutes.” you told him and gave him a smile. “Alright. The breakie will be waitin’ for ya two. Take your time.” the man said before he left. You closed the door and turned to see Sebastian, who was apparently dressing up. He wasn’t picking up the parts of his armor, and it was actually something different.

 

Sebastian was dressed up in a white slim-fit dress shirt that was tucked into his uniform pants, a black leather belt, and his black combat boots. He was just about to tie his red tie when you finished scanning him. He wore all that under his uniform? Maybe. You had no idea. Beside all that, he looked good, somewhat quite formal but the outfit looked just right on him. The clothes were unbelievably clean. Maybe he decided that he didn’t need to wear his armor all the time; after all, he was indoors. The man noticed that you were seemingly admiring his choice of clothes, so he smiled at you widely in a happy way. “You like what you see?”

 

You melted. He was so irresistible, and you weren’t able to handle it. “Oh.. Yeah. You look very.. Good.” you stuttered nervously and moved your bangs away from your eyes, “I mean, that outfit honestly suits you very well. You look more fit for your real profession now.” The German’s smile turned into his smug and evil smirk soon after he heard this while he finished tying his tie meanwhile. “Dankeschön, Hase. I assume that you’re right about the ‘dressing for the job’ part. The APC we used as our escape vehicle happened to have some clothing in it that was intended for Civil Protection officers; I couldn’t resist. That armor makes me feel like I’m on a constant mission.” the man confessed and walked to the door, right next to you.

 

He looked even better up-close, you had to admit to yourself. “I totally get that. You look much more approachable, too. I think your armor created some strong feelings yesterday among the rebels.” you smirked. Sebastian laughed briefly to your comment and opened the door. “Indeed. Maybe it’s better this way, isn’t it? These people probably have something for you, too. Getting out of that citizen gear might make you feel even more free, ja?” he said as he walked through the door, you coming right after him. “Yeah, that would be nice. We can go see if they have something which is my size. But first, breakfast. My stomach is making noises at me.”

 

When you two had finished breakfast, Sebastian got you some resistance gear with the help of Dell. Basically, you got your own kevlar vest armor that was actually recycled from a killed Combine officer, a utility belt, a pair of gloves, and a backpack. You went to your room to make sure the size was right, and everything fit perfectly on you. When you walked out the room, Sebastian was already in his armor, waiting for you. He looked positively surprised. “Hase, you look threatening. Ich mag es.” he commented and smiled widely at you. You chuckled a little bit and looked at yourself. “I take that as a compliment.” you answered him. The man looked thoughtful. “Schatz, I was thinking..” he began to speak, “How about if I teach you how to shoot? It’s about time you learn that valuable skill.” You honestly liked the idea, because it was very important to know how to handle a weapon. “Yes, definitely. That’d be great. I heard the weather is beautiful outside, and a bit warmer. So why not? Besides, I should find a reason to wear this armor.”

 

You headed outside while Sebastian was getting some empty cans and weapons for your little lesson. When you opened the door, you could feel the fresh air get into your lungs. It really wasn’t as cold as yesterday, and the Sun was shining. You closed the door behind you and stepped further to the porch. Maybe it was just an illusion, but you felt more free than ever. The autumn wind blew through your hair gently as you walked to the gate to wait for your friend to come. Without you hearing it, Sebastian walked opened the door with his equipment and came up to you. “Everything’s ready. Let’s get outside the gate.” the German told you, your body shaking slightly. “Oh, I didn’t hear you come. Yeah, let’s.”

 

After Sebastian had arranged a few cans on the hood of a rusty old tractor, he came back and stood in front of you. “We’re going to start with the basics of handling a weapon.” he said and took a pistol from his left holster, handing it to you. You took it into your hands and rose your eyes to look at him. Apparently, he took another identical pistol from his right holster. Next he showed and explained how you were able to take the safe off on the weapon, being a little too specific about it. You nodded numerous times during his speech. Then, he showed how to reload the gun, you repeating after him. He ended up looking quite satisfied with your learning, his smile widening rapidly.

 

“Sehr gut, Hase. And now, the best part.” Sebastian said before he put his pistol back into his right holster, signaling you to turn to face the old tractor which had the cans on it. After this, he positioned himself behind you. “Take aim.” he commanded, and you rose your hands to aim towards the cans. Suddenly, he put his hands on yours, fixing the position of your aiming. He was right behind you, and you could feel his breath against your right ear. This made you a little bit unfocused, but very relaxed. “Your arms should be as straight as possible when you aim. To hit the target with high accuracy, your eyes should be at the same level with the gun. Also, aim with your dominant eye and close the other” he spoke to you, his accent thickening.

 

Damn, he was so close to you that you had difficulties following his orders correctly. “Alright.” you mumbled and did what he just told you to do. Your aim was nearly perfect, thanks to Sebastian. “You can now pull the trigger, if you’re ready for it.” the German told you as he let go of your hands and took a step back, moving to your side. You put your finger on the trigger and pulled it, attempting to hit the can. Fortunately, you succeeded. “You’re brilliant, Liebling! Now, try to shoot the other can.” Sebastian praised you. You turned your face momentarily to look at him, smiling. “Thanks, Seb.” you thanked him before you moved your upper body a little bit to aim at the remaining lonely can on the tractor.


	12. Herz Über Kopf

After a few hours of training, you had learned the basics of handling different weapons. The operation of the SMG, the .357, and the pistol were now familiar to you, and actually handling a gun wasn’t that alien to you anymore. But you still weren’t sure if you’d be able to point at anything that lives with your gun. That would be seen in the future, you thought. However, Sebastian was very pleased with all that effort you had put into the training. He told you that you were perfect, but what the German actually meant with you being perfect remained unknown. Your aiming skills still needed some polishing.

When the Sun was setting in the horizon, you wandered outside again. Sebastian had been gone for a few hours, and you had imagined that you’d find him outside,  since you searched every corner of the base and couldn’t find him anywhere down there. The air had gotten noticeably colder when you stepped out the door, but you didn’t mind it at all, even if you were wearing only a gray comfy pullover over a tee, blue jeans, and your standard shoes. You walked to the gate and opened it silently just to prevent making your presence known.

 

You didn’t have to search for him any further as you noticed the German’s familiar figure on a long wooden box next to the gate. He was, surprisingly, out of his armor, wearing the outfit that he was wearing in the morning. The sunset illuminated him in the colors of orange and pink, which created shadows on his body, especially on his face. He was looking straight into the sky above and had a picture in his hands. The expression on his face was slightly melancholic. Maybe there was a hint of tears in his eyes, but you weren’t able to see that far in detail. Slowly, you began to approach him, hoping that he wanted some company.

 

He didn’t notice you at all until you sat next to him on the box. Sebastian rose his brows and turned to look at you, his expression quite blank at that moment. After his brain processed your identity, a wide smile appeared on his face. “Ah, (Y/N).. You found me.” he said in a silent tone of voice. “What are you doing here all alone, Sebastian? I couldn’t find you anywhere.” you asked him. “I’ve been here for a while now. I guess I needed some time off, just to think about things.” the German answered you before he slipped the photograph into his pocket, apparently focusing solely on you now. “What kind of things?” you answered curiously, noticing that he hid the photograph which was in his hands. Sebastian turned his head to look into the sky, the rays of sunset blinding him for a second. “About my life, to be exact. And the course of it.”, he mumbled the sentence out of his mouth, swallowing. “I also thought what could’ve happened if the incident at Black Mesa never occurred in the first place.”

 

You kept your eyes on Sebastian, listening to him with care. “It’s very hard for me to think of the possible outcome, since I’ve been born into this world. What did you do before this started, exactly?” you asked him in a curious tone. A faint smile appeared on his face again as he heard your question, as if he waited for you to ask it. “I had just graduated from medical school and worked as a doctor in Stuttgart. I was still young, in my twenties, and very ambitious. I happened to meet a foreign woman, who later became my fiancée. We were together for years, but you already know what happened to her, so.. The story didn’t end well. Not for my parents, either. People who couldn’t meet the standards of the Combine were executed.” he sighted after he finished the sentence, “They killed millions. Only the so-called ‘normal’ ones were accepted, because they were easy to maintain and control, the Combine thought. They killed disabled people, children, and people who were too old at that time.”

 

Your expression darkened as Sebastian continued to explain the thing. “That’s why I’m going to put an end to this. I’ve witnessed so much during these past twenty years, and I’ve been one of them. I won’t stop until this all comes to an end and the Earth will finally be free from this slavery.” he said with pure dedication and confidence in his voice. Then, he turned to face you. “And if this all goes right, we will finally be free.” The thought of freedom felt like a dream. You found his dedication quite far-fetched, since the victory appeared to be impossible to achieve under these consequences. But he kept believing. He believed that you’d make it through, even if the world had already fallen apart before your eyes. Since the day you were born.

 

“Sebastian.. I seriously hope that we’ll take our planet back. Humanity has so much potential. It doesn’t have to end like this.” you agreed and felt yourself becoming a bit emotional from this serious conversation you two were having at the moment. Sebastian noticed this and rose his right hand onto your shoulder, stroking your collarbone with a thumb. “It won’t, Liebling. Even if they had to rip my humanity out of me, I’ll never stop fighting for this cause.” he assured you, “Maybe one day, you will see what the world was like before the invasion took place. Even I have hard time memorizing it all, since it’s been so long. A lot of things have happened, but perhaps I’m still the same man I was. Ambitious. A bit crazy, even.”

 

You smiled a bit and put your hand onto his arm, caressing it gently. “Whatever you were back then, I like the way you are currently. And I’m not just saying that. I really mean it.” you began to speak again, “You’ve been so good to me all this time. Sometimes I find myself wondering what did I exactly do to deserve all this. Not to mention that you took me out of City 17 and gave me freedom. A few days ago it was just a distant dream of mine.” Sebastian was astonished by your sudden compliments, and he wasn’t able to answer you for a while. “Liebling, I do all this because I..” his sentence was cut short as he hesitated to say the rest, his jaw only making slight movements. He swallowed and opened his mouth again to talk.

 

“From the moment when I saw you, I knew that you were special. Citizens never save officers, but you saved me, even if I was dressed like one of your enemies. Caring is something that had apparently became very rare nowadays, but you have it deep inside you. It’s nothing fake or pretentious, you truly have it.” Sebastian told you, with a slight blush on his cheeks. You thought he was just returning the compliment, but it appeared that he was actually very serious about it, judging by his behavior. “That’s why I think I’ve subconsciously developed a strong bond with you. And that’s not all, because.. I feel a thing that I thought I’d never be able to feel again in my life. But I was wrong about that, Hase. So wrong.” he took a long, loving glance into your eyes, “I think I’ve fallen for you.”

 

Was he joking around with you just to see your reaction? Definitely not, because Sebastian would never play you. It took you a long while until you realized what he truly wanted to tell you, and it hit you hard when you finally got it. Sebastian was telling you that he loved and adored you, and he thought that you were like no other; someone that stood out the crowd. Your cheeks were burning after you processed all this new information, and this didn’t pass unnoticed by the German, his expression showing his worry. “Uh, Liebling? You seem to be.. Frozen.” he muttered and rose his brows while he looked at you, attempting to tell if you were alright or just overly surprised by his confession.

 

Before he was able to say another thing, you slid yourself right next to Sebastian and wrapped your arms around his neck with care, pulling him closer to you. For a while, he was clueless what was about to happen, and he assumed that you were going to embrace him. His assumptions were destroyed when you closed your eyes and pressed your lips against his, tilting your head to make the kiss more comfortable. This was the only way you knew how to kiss another human being, so you dealt with the slight clumsiness of it. Because your eyes were closed, you couldn’t see how Sebastian reacted to the kiss. But soon enough, you felt his strong steel arms around your body, and he pulled you onto his lap with ease. The man tilted his head to the opposite direction and returned the kiss passionately, apparently with a lot of skill.

 

You couldn’t think about anything anymore, solely focusing on kissing the man you secretly admired so much. He was your first, and it felt so right to be kissed by him, at last. This was way better than you had imagined the sensation to be, and you loved every second of it. Sebastian murmured something in his native language during the kiss, constantly moving his hands on your lower back with slow movements. You forgot your own clumsiness since Sebastian knew exactly what he was doing as he kissed you, letting himself lose control of his feelings entirely.

 

A few minutes passed until you two broke the kiss just to take a long look into each other’s eyes, both of you entirely flushed and astonished by the thing you two just did together. It was hard to believe that it really happened, at least for you. “Liebling, I think..” the German began to speak with a thicker accent than his usual, attempting to push some words out of his mouth in English, “I think you’re feeling it at least as much as I do.” This made you nod in approval, planting a short, effortless kiss on his lips before you answered him. “You got that right. I think I made it a bit too obvious, didn’t I?” you asked him and smiled, still holding your arms loosely around his neck. The man nodded and smirked at you before he leaned his forehead against yours.

 

You could’ve spent the rest of your life on his lap, but unfortunately, as the darkness came, you two had to go back inside since the air was getting way too cold. Sebastian and you were now lying on his bed, both wearing your own choice of sleepwear. He had his arm behind you back, and your head was positioned on his clothless chest, your left hand over his gut, caressing the man’s wound. You were just fine lying like this in total silence, especially when you had no energy left to speak with him due to your sleepiness. You weren’t exactly sure if Sebastian was tired or not, but you could nearly sense that his eyes were closed at that moment. The sound of his breathing was relaxed and regular, which gave you the impression of him being already asleep.

 

Because the lamp was still switched on, you had to rise your body slightly in order to reach your left hand to turn it off. Apparently, Sebastian wasn’t asleep since he noticed your struggle. “Ach, Schatz. Let me do it.” he said with a tired smile on his face as he rose his right hand, turning the light off with ease. “Thanks. I thought you were already sleeping, but it seems like you weren’t.” you confessed as you returned to your previous position. He laid his right hand onto your left hand that was on his stomach, holding it gently. The coldness of his prosthetic arm made you shake a bit, but you soon got used to the sensation. “Instead of sleeping, I want to spend as much time with you as possible, Hase.” the German mumbled and kissed your cheek before he tilted his head back against the pillow, “We’ll never know how much time we have left. That’s why I try to enjoy every single moment with you.”

 

This made you smile. You played with his metallic fingers and observed them; the way they bent and how their joints worked in a natural way. “Don’t think about it, Sebastian. Just try to make yourself believe that we’ve got plenty of time. No need to conserve it too much.” you encouraged him and closed your eyes again, “And with these enhancements of yours, you’ll be immortal.” Sebastian chuckled and shook his head slightly. “Schatz, I wish I could believe you. But everything breaks at some point, eventually my body will, too. It will take a long time until that happens, though. Perhaps I will reach singularity before that.” he answered you and yawned silently before he adjusted himself on the bed. “Well, you’re true about that. Let’s hope that day won’t come too soon. Besides, I like your enhancements. I guess it makes you unique.”

 

“Nein, wirklich nicht. Many units have these nowadays, especially the elite soldiers. Well, they’ve been enhanced beyond their humanity. They no longer know what is right or wrong; the meaning of their life is to take orders from Dr. Breen and the Overwatch dispatch.” Sebastian explained, “I’ve been working with many, and believe or not, sometimes it feels like they have an artificial intelligence instead of a human mind inside their heads. That is what extreme brainwashing does to you.” You listened to him with pure interest, but at the same time felt quite haunted after hearing some new information. “So if we never escaped, you’d become..” your sentence was cut short as he began to speak. “Du hast Recht. I knew it from the second I saw Dr. Breen’s expression. Even if it was going to be minor, I wouldn’t have been the same after it. The Combine requires total focus and no distraction from their commanders.”

 

You swallowed a bit when you began to imagine how everything could’ve ended if he never had the courage to abandon the Combine. “You should be proud of yourself for being so brave. If I was in your position, I’m not exactly sure if I’d ever be able to do anything like you did.” He rose his right hand from yours and positioned it on your shoulder. “Believe me, when you’re facing a certain challenge, you do what you must. I didn’t rethink the escape even once. It just felt like the right thing to do. All I thought about was the freedom of me and you, and the importance of our fight to put an end to this invasion.”


	13. Assault

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The citizen faces some creepy modified alien creatures in this chapter, as well as a lot of death.

Unlike the previous mornings, this one was chaotic. You woke up to an alarm which was triggered because the hideout was facing a threat. The man next to you still had his eyes closed when you checked up on him, so you slapped his cheek gently just to make sure he was awake. “Was machst du, Schatz..” Sebastian murmured, his eyes opening in a rapid movement. His face indicated that he just realized something. “I think something’s happening up there. Let’s get into our gear, schnell!” You got out of his way as he rose himself out the bed and began to dress himself up. It quite fascinated you how fast he was even if he just woke up, but you decided to catch up with him by getting on your feet and starting to put your armor on.  
  
Sebastian was done in under two minutes, and he grabbed his weapons, including a surprising choice of melee weapon, a bonesaw, then putting them into their holsters, clipping the bonesaw onto his waist. He grabbed yours and waited for you to fasten the belts of your kevlar vest. After you slipped your gloves on your hands, he handed a pistol and an SMG to you. “Do not hesitate to use them. You know I trust your skills, Liebling.” the German told you before you grabbed your weapons and put placed them in your holsters. You were about to answer him, but he soon wrapped his hands around your waist and pulled you closer, planting a kiss on your lips. This was surprising, because he acted so busy a few minutes ago, but it appeared that he always had time for you. “Definitely. Now let’s go find out what’s happening there. Could be hell breaking loose.”  
  
When you two ran to the ‘living room’, Dell was sitting in front a monitor and having a conversation with somebody whose face could be seen on the screen. “We’ve got stinkin’ hunters out there, and a group of Combine units just arrived in their APC. Our gate is still holding up, but I’m afraid more of them are coming.. The uprising must’ve been the cause of all this.” his voice came out distressed and frightened as he explained the situation to the person. The same woman, Jenner, who had threatened Sebastian a few days ago came up to you. “Thank God you guys woke up. We’ve been spotted by some troopers with hunters and they’re about to get inside if we won’t stop them. We have to do something about it as fast as possible.” she told you. “Let’s get outside, then. I’ll take care of the hunters, you two handle the rest, ja?” Sebastian suggested. You and the woman agreed with his plan and went outside.  
As the three of you entered the porch, you heard Combine chatter coming from just around the corner. They had already gotten through the gates, or had used the small hole to bypass the gates. A few more people came out the door after you. Sebastian signaled you two to go there and investigate before he ran behind the house with the others. “Trouble ahead. I go first.” Jenner told you while she approached the corner slowly, keeping her back against the wall at all times. Soon you saw a blue-eyed Overwatch soldier come around the corner, pointing their gun at you. Fortunately, Jenner noticed this and kicked the soldier off their feet. “More of them coming. You better run, or we’ll both end up dead!”  
  
It felt terrible to leave Jenner there all alone among all those soldiers, but you did what she said. After you disappeared from the scene, you heard gunfire and screaming. You weren’t sure if the screaming came from her mouth, but it gave you the creeps. Your hands were shaking as you held the SMG. Only a few seconds passed until you heard heavy footsteps that were approaching your location. When you turned your head to the right, you saw a creature with two glowing eyes and three legs, towering over two meters high. It began to make strange sounds at you before it started to run towards you with great speed. So, this was one of the hunters that they were talking about?

Before the creature accomplished to hit you with its head, you dodged it by throwing yourself to the side. Your weapon was thrown out of your hands a few feet away from you. The rush of adrenaline helped you to quickly recover from the impact, and you picked up your SMG from the ground before you ran as fast as possible to the fence, going through a hole that the creature had just made. You noticed how fast it was approaching you again, so you stormed off and attempted to fire at it through the gate as you ran. But because you were running, your aiming was inaccurate and the bullets that reached the creature did not seem to do any damage at all; the creature appeared to absorb it all quite well. At least the bullets bought you a little more time to escape as you headed to the frontside of the building.  
  
The sight of dead bodies made you cringe as you almost stumbled on them while you ran. At the gate, you saw Sebastian holding a huge assault rifle in his hands, aiming at a hunter that had just killed a man. He increased the accuracy by squatting down on the ground and shooting directly into the eyes of the creature, his hand staying unbelievably stable while he did this, thanks to his mechanical augmented arms. You couldn’t look at him for long, because soon you noticed that an Overwatch soldier was approaching him from behind the house, raising his weapon. Even if other Resistance members noticed the soldier, they couldn’t get their bullets to penetrate their armor.  
  
That’s why you decided to stop him before he’d start shooting at Sebastian and catch him off-guard. You started to run again towards the soldier, rising your weapon to aim. Your finger pulled the trigger, and luckily, your bullet hit the side of their right rib. That alone didn’t stop them from running, but as you approached them, you accomplished to shoot at them with an enhanced rate of success. Because you were so focused on saving your beloved partner, you couldn’t notice the hunter that had attacked you earlier, who was now ready to use its flechettes on you in order to hurt you. Sebastian heard the grunting noises that the soldier emitted after he had finished off the hunter that fell into the ground. He stood up after he put his rifle onto his back, into the holster, and grabbed his bonesaw from his utility belt.  
  
As he turned around, he saw a wounded Overwatch soldier running towards him with a shotgun. Sebastian was able to react quickly and dodge the bullets with success, even if one penetrated his left upper leg as he moved out of the way. The man decided to attack the intruder from the left side, digging his large-toothed saw into their neck at an 45-degree angle. Even if the soldier had good neck protection, it wasn’t able to save them from a mad doctor with a bonesaw in his hands. This immediately resulted in an enormous loss of blood, and the soldier fell into the ground soon after. Sebastian let the soldier ease themselves onto the ground before he took a look at you, seeing a hunter charging right behind you.  
  
“There’s a hunter behind you!” he informed you just before the hunter shot its flechettes in the direction of you. You were lucky enough to react to Sebastian’s warning quick enough, and got out of the way, throwing yourself to the side, just like you did before. Since you were out of ammo, you reloaded your gun as fast as you were able to do, and began to shoot at the creature, emptying a whole magazine into it. Sebastian joined you as he grabbed his .357 from the holster, aiming directly into the hunter’s head while he walked slowly towards it. Together, you two accomplished to kill it in under ten seconds.  
  
For a little while, it was peaceful. Sebastian signaled you to follow him as he ran to help an injured resistance member who was leaning against the gate on the other side. He had multiple bullet wounds on his legs and upper body. He kneeled down in front of the man, and took off his glove. He checked the man’s pulse with his fingers, hoping that he’d catch something. “Ach, Liebling, could you try it out for me? I’m not sure if I’m able to feel the pulse correctly with my receptors.” Sebastian asked you and gave you some space. You nodded at him and kneeled down next to him, taking off your glove. Your hand worked its way to the man’s neck, pressing fingers against the vein. Unfortunately, you felt nothing. “He’s gone..”  
  
After your sentence reached Sebastian’s ears, his facial expression darkened. “Das kann nicht sein..” he muttered in his native language and stood up, looking around him. Everything he could see were dead bodies and blood. Not a sign of life. “He was alive just a few moments ago. Liebling.. I’ve destroyed so much, but healed no one.” he came into a realization, wiping his cheek with his left hand, holding his revolved with the right. You stood up and laid a hand on his shoulder, pressing your head against his upper back, attempting to comfort him from behind. “It’s okay. You can’t always save everyone. It was rough and fast-paced, even I had to run for my life without stopping. There was no time for healing.”  
  
He stood still for a short while until he turned to face you, wrapping his hands around you gently. “Hase.. I wish I was as positive as you are, but we lost so many.” the German whispered and sighted, pressing his forehead against yours. Even if he was so close to you, you managed to look at him into his blue eyes, which were now full of regret. “Hopefully we’ll find Dell and some others inside. But this doesn’t end here. Now that they’re aware of this hideout, we are no longer safe. They could bomb this location at any moment.” he spoke softly to you, your hands being positioned onto his arms. “At least you kept me alive. Remember that.” you reminded him. This made him smile widely, in a sad way. “That’s because you’re my number one priority.”  
  
The hideout was dead-silent as you walked down the stairs. However, when you were close enough, you were able to hear the silent hurring of a computer fan. The sight was relieving; Dell was there along with two other people, as well as Jenner, all totally silent and speechless until they saw you two. Dell stood up and walked immediately up to you. “How many dead? Please don’t tell me ya two are the sole survivors.” he begged in a desperate tone of voice. Sebastian wasn’t able to look him in the eye. “Dell, I’m sorry.” he managed to get out of his mouth, the case quite hard for him to talk about. The Texan’s hopeful facial expression fell as he realized what you meant. “Can’t be. That ain’t true.” he convinced himself, sitting back onto his computer chair.  
  
You decided to join the conversation. “Dell.. The enemy was so tough. We had three hunters there and a handful of Overwatch soldiers swarming around. We tried our best, but it wasn’t enough to save everybody. I’m so sorry.” you explained him as well as you could, but Dell didn’t feel any better by this explanation. He covered his face with hands and sighted deeply. “I believe ya.” he whispered, “I truly appreciate your effort. But there’s more coming, since they have discovered our hideout now.” You turned to look at Sebastian, who was staring at the monitors thoughtfully. “Maybe they’re following us. It’s been only two days since we escaped City 17.” the German speculated. Dell lowered his hands that were on his face, taking a long look at the man in front of him. “No, that’s not it. There’s been a major uprising in the city. That’s why they’re patrolling around, in case they’ll be able to find members of the Resistance.”  
  
Sebastian couldn’t believe his eyes. An uprising attempt, again? That was unbelievable. It had been only less than a month since the previous one. This caused him to feel some hope deep inside him. “Really? I had no idea..” he said, totally astonished. “I’m not playin’ games with you. It’s all real. That’s why you two should get out of here and deliver supplies to White Forest.” Dell answered, “If this is going to be successful, a lot of citizens will be needing shelter and food. This hideout is a lost case, and will probably get destroyed within a few days.” You thought about it. Were Dell and the two others going to stay there until they’d die? “But.. How about you guys?” you asked him. “We’ve gotta keep this place up and running until the very end. But if the uprising turns out to be successful, we’ll come to White Forest.”


End file.
